Structural evaluation of multifunctional flood defenses

Flood risk reduction aims to minimize losses in low-lying areas. One of the ways to reduce flood risks is to protect land by means of flood defenses. The Netherlands has a long tradition of flood protection and, therefore, a wide variety of technical reports written and guidelines developed for designing and assessing typical flood defenses. These documents have been prepared by the Dutch Technical Advisory Committee for the Flood Defenses (Technische Adviescommissie voor de Waterkeringen, TAW) and apply to dunes, lower and upper river dikes, lake and sea dikes, water-retaining hydraulic structures, etc. These documents contain methods and criteria to determine the reliability of flood defenses, based on the present state of technology and research.