WaveSave’s Slam Dam is a portable rubber barrier that can be quickly deployed to protect communities from rising floodwaters. Unfurled along riverbanks or shorelines and filled with water, it swells to a height of 1.3 meters, shielding property and infrastructure. Originally developed in 2013 in the Netherlands, it is now used by regional water authorities and has been deployed in at least a dozen countries across Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The dam serves a dual purpose: it acts as a flood barrier and can store freshwater for later use, such as crop irrigation. In Burundi, farmers using a Slam Dam during the 2022 flood season doubled their incomes by accessing stored water. The product is designed for rapid emergency deployment and is more affordable in the short term than permanent solutions like levees.
WaveSave, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Eindhoven, is currently demonstrating the Slam Dam on Governors Island in New York City as part of a climate adaptation competition. The company is exploring service-based models to make the dam more accessible, though challenges remain regarding ownership and upfront costs in developing regions.
Source: MIT Technology Review · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing