Did you know that plants could play an important role in decreasing the risk of heavy rainfall damage? No?
Ok, so you might already know that the intensity of showers is increasing and can become a serious problem in for example The Netherlands or UK. Local floods damage buildings in many cities, therefore we need innovative prevention measures!
Plants are nature’s helpers, they can reduce geomorphological instability with their roots, they attract precipitation and make river banks more stable (that is one of the reasons why we have uiterwaarden in The Netherlands. Most of the tree and shrub species that are typical for riverbanks and levees absorb a lot of water, they are called hygrophyte species.
A dense vegetation canopy made of autochthonous helps to protect areas against flash floods. It is, as you can say, one of nature’s most efficient flood protection system, but it’s possible to get highly valuable natural area as well.
But, what are hygrophyte species?
- Poplars (Populus Nigra & Alba)
- Ash
- Willows (genus Salix)
- Elms (Ulmus )
- Among the shrubs the Elder (Sambucus Nigra)
- Ferns
- Sedge and other grasses
A poplar
A small willow
You could plant these trees and plants in your garden, but you could also put the smaller plants on the roof, they will absorb a lot of water and will make sure that there will be less water in the sewage. They are not only helping you rainproofing your house, but they also have a cooling effect in summer, so it will be cooler in your house in summer and they clean the air of particulate matter.
Note: It is important to take some points into an account, in order to use vegetation for flood protection. You should for example know about the local ecosystem and vegetation (very helpful). A good maintenance is required also for a better function of plants when heavy rains are coming.
So, did you know it was so easy? No excuse!
We for example have a green roof at the Amsterdam University of Applied Science, it is the room of our office, the studio. We are also trying to grow vegetables, Albert Heijn Moestuintjes. After they came out, we want to plant them at the campus, when it is our time to make lunch, we hope we could use them for a salad.
The roof of our office