Basic functions: ensuring navigation and water conservancy safety in waters
Remove siltation and maintain smooth waterways
Rivers, ports, and waterways are not deep enough due to siltation, which directly affects the safety of ship navigation. Dredging restores the design standards of waterways by deepening or widening the waters to ensure the smooth passage of large ships. For example, dredging is required during port expansion to increase berthing capacity and meet the needs of large-scale ships.
Flood prevention and disaster reduction, improve drainage capacity
River siltation will reduce the cross-section of the water flow and increase the risk of floods. Dredging can restore the original scale of the river and enhance the flood discharge capacity. For example, the dredging project in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River significantly reduced the water level during the flood season and protected the safety of residents along the coast.
Ecological restoration: improving water health and biodiversity
Removing polluted sediments and purifying water quality
Sediments are often enriched with heavy metals and organic pollutants. Dredging can remove pollution sources and reduce endogenous release. For example, environmental dredging technology was used in the management of Taihu Lake, which effectively reduced the eutrophication of water bodies.
Restore habitats and rebuild ecological balance
Dredging can reshape the underwater topography, provide growth space for aquatic plants, and create conditions for fish spawning. The Mark Lake dredging project in the Netherlands has restored the number of endangered species by reconstructing wetlands.
Land reclamation supports urban construction
Dredged soil is often used for land reclamation or land backfilling. Singapore has expanded its land area through continuous dredging and reclamation. my country's coastal cities also use dredged soil to implement beach management to ease land shortages.
Material recycling promotes the circular economy
Dredged soil can be used as a building material or roadbed filler after processing to replace sand and gravel. Some projects mix dredged soil with a curing agent to make environmentally friendly bricks to achieve resource utilization.
