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Building with nature: Sand Motor
Deltas and low-lying coastal areas are constantly faced with threat of erosion and flooding from the sea. Over centuries, the Netherlands has learnt that the key is to work with nature by using the natural power of the sea. The Sand Motor is a prime example of nature-based solutions.
Innovative method for coastal protection
The Sand Motor has become an international icon of innovation. Countries including Peru, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Italy and Jamaica are now planning on using this sand motor strategy. Water experts around the globe are looking into the Dutch techniques for nature-based solutions.
Novel approach
The Sand Motor showcases a novel approach to sand supplementation that is cost-effective and augments coastal defences. Rather than pumping sand onto the beaches, the wind, waves, and currents were given free reign.
The power of nature’s elemental forces has been harnessed in an intelligent way to distribute the sand along the shoreline. This reinforces the coastline in a natural way and creates a dynamic area for nature and recreation, making it attractive to local residents.
New peninsula
The Dutch first experimented with the sand engine to protect the fragile Dutch coastline. In 2013, a new peninsula was created by pump dredgers just off the coast near the cities of The Hague and Rotterdam. The UK sand motor project cost 70 million euros and has a surface of about one km² and a volume of 21 million cubic meters of sand and is bigger than 256 football fields.
We hope that with the help of our international partners, we can share ideas and build on nature-based solutions in the future.
