Thames Barrier Essay

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THE THAMES BARRIER On 31 January 1953 Britain and the Netherlands suffered one of the worst floods in their history. Huge waves battered the east coast, and a devastating tidal surge rushed up the Thames, with sea levels 3 metres above normal in some places. The flood destroyed London and covered 160,000 acres on Canvey Island and killed (drowned) 300 people in Essex. As a result of this, The Thames Barrier was built in order to protect the capital from flooding until the year 2030; however people suspect that global warming may predict the time and effectiveness of the barrier. The Thames Barrier is a unique construction and is the world’s largest movable flood barrier, spanning 520 metres across the Thames at Woolwich. The barrier, which took 8 years to build, was built in 1983 and is valued at over £1000 million. It can be reached by road, or river boat from Westminster or Greenwich. The barrier is a set of 10 separate movable gates positioned across the river. Between the gates are the concrete piers housing the operating machinery. The four main gates comprising the barrier are each as high as a five storey building and as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge (61 metres). Each gate is operated by its own electrically powered 'hydraulic power packs', which are positioned directly below the stainless steel roofs of the gates. In a surge warning, the gates will be closed to form a steel wall; this then separates the Upper Thames from the sea. The gates/walls can also be lifted from the water for maintenance purposes. Since the completion of The Thames Barrier, it has been raised over 64 times as a precaution as there were fears of flooding. The gates are also raised monthly for a test run when the Thames is at low tide. However there have recently been problems with the Thames Barrier due to the rising sea level. Sea levels are rising even faster in
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