The main part of the activities against the sea was the closing of the parts of sea in the
province Zeeland. There had been the major part of the flooding in February 1953.
The government wanted to close all parts of the sea in this region, but fishermen and local milieu organisations protested. The water would be sweet instead of salt water and that would be the end of nature as known. Fish, plants and waterbirds would die or leave. That was unacceptable.
They thought of a special dam with 65 pillars with holes between them, large enough to let the salt water in. In case of a storm with dangerous waterlevel, there are large doors, 40 meters long and 11 meters high, that can be lowered to keep the seawater out.
Building the dam was a large job. The water is 9 kilometers wide and on some places 40 meters deep.
The dam is ready, but it was verry expensive. It took longer than expected and there where problems never foreseen.
The Dutch builders made something that nobody had done before.
Index The sea Oosterscheldedam Maeslantkering Slavery VOC