WaveSave Developed Portable Flood Barriers
The Dutch company produces water-filled barriers to provide temporary flood protection in 12 countries.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Safety
Live Poll
Is investing in portable flood barriers a practical way to increase resilience in your community?
Founded in 2017, the Eindhoven-based startup WaveSave developed the SlamDam, a portable rubber barrier that inflates with water to provide flood protection. The system has been deployed across 12 countries as an alternative to permanent flood infrastructure.
Why it matters
With projections indicating nearly 2 billion people will be exposed to flood risks by 2100, flexible and temporary flood mitigation tools offer a scalable solution for vulnerable regions. These systems allow for rapid deployment in areas lacking permanent defenses.
The SlamDam barrier stands 1.3 meters high when fully inflated and costs between €1,000 and €3,000 per section. Seven employees currently manage the operations of this company which has already secured $5.3 million in new contracts.
The players
WaveSave
This Eindhoven-based startup manufactures portable flood defense systems.
The details
Users operate the barrier by unfurling it on the ground and utilizing a portable pump to fill it with water. In addition to flood defense, the system has demonstrated secondary utility, such as in the Mpanda commune of Burundi where farmers utilized stored water from a 2022 deployment for irrigation.
Timeline
The SlamDam technology was developed in 2013.
WaveSave was founded in the Netherlands in 2017.
A deployment took place in Mpanda, Burundi in 2022.
A production facility in Southeast Asia is slated to open in early 2027.
Projections estimate 2 billion people will face flood exposure by 2100.
Seasonal Patterns
The reliance on portable barriers like SlamDam follows the increasing frequency of extreme weather events that threaten to displace populations as predicted by the 2100 flood exposure projections. The technology serves as an adaptive response to the scale of humanitarian risk defined by these figures.
Communities facing seasonal flooding can utilize portable water-filled barriers as a rapid-response alternative to traditional construction. For optimal safety, these systems require a reliable water source for inflation and manual setup via portable pumps.
The takeaway
Portable flood defense technology demonstrates that effective water management can be achieved through flexible, non-permanent infrastructure. Such systems provide immediate utility in diverse climates while offering secondary benefits like water storage for agricultural use.
Further reading
For more information on disaster mitigation and preparedness, visit the Safety section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MIT Technology Review.
Live Poll
Is investing in portable flood barriers a practical way to increase resilience in your community?
