River dredging is an example of an application with the objective of nature protection. Therefore, shallow waters can have major impacts on local businesses and even become a safety hazard to the surrounding residents and wildlife. Furthermore, blockage can cause water to flow over the river banks, flooding the surrounding area. As a result, waterways become inaccessible to ships. Sediments gradually fill up rivers, channels or canals making them very shallow and creating blockage. Dredging rivers to prevent floodingĭue to natural weathering and erosion, sand, silt and debris are constantly washed downstream. Some of these applications are discussed below. While there is a variety of dredging objectives, a large range of applications focus on improvement of the environment and nature protection. How can dredging improve the environment?

Furthermore, due to constant environmental and societal developments such as climate change, population growth and pollution, dredging is becoming an increasingly important protective process. The word “dredge” itself is defined as the act of cleaning and clearing “the bed of (a harbour, river, or other area of water) by scooping out mud, weeds, and rubbish with a dredge” by Oxford Dictionary.Īccordingly, dredging is an activity, which to a large extent focuses on improvement of our society, businesses and even the environment itself. Yet, the positive perspective and nature improvements dredging can achieve are often overlooked. Dredging is often associated with pollution, contaminated soils, CO 2 emissions or other negative environmental impact.

What is dredging of a channel