The consequences of climate change are leading to increasing flooding worldwide. Flood control systems are critical for protecting human lives and material assets. When it comes to the technology used, there can be no compromises on quality.
Stormwater and flooding can have catastrophic consequences. A study by international scientists estimated that around 1.8 billion people – roughly 23 percent of the global population – are directly exposed to a 1-in-100-year flood event. The majority of the people affected live in South and East Asia.
According to calculations by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in 2021, the number of floods has increased worldwide in recent years. While there were 1,389 such events in total between 1980 and 1999, this figure rose to 3,254 between 2000 and 2019. The reasons for this development are more frequent heavy rainfall as a result of climate change, the growth of megacities and the sealing of large areas.
Flood control pumps
Facilities such as pumping stations are an important part of flood protection, as they are able to pump the water masses out of the danger zone in the event of an emergency. However, their commissioning requires comprehensive technical expertise. Kishor Gokhale, who works for KSB in Singapore, is an expert in this area and has overseen numerous flood protection projects in the Asia South and Pacific region.
“The occurrence of flood events cannot be controlled, but we can help to reduce the risks and damage caused by flooding,” explains Kishor Gokhale. “With flood control pumping stations, the reliability and therefore the quality of the pumps is the most important factor.”
KSB can draw on decades of expertise in flood control applications. “Thanks to our wealth of experience, we have accumulated extensive product and application know-how that benefits our customers all over the world,” says Gokhale. The company offers a complete range of products for flood control systems, including pumps with a flow rate of 1 to 30 cubic metres of water per second.
Ubon Ratchathani
Thailand
The city of Ubon Ratchathani in north-eastern Thailand is frequently faced with flooding. Pumping stations are one of the methods used to cope with the masses of water. Three Sewatec pumps from KSB are installed in one of the pumping stations. These pump sets are considered to be particularly safe and reliable in their operation. Panu Chokapirat, Managing Director of Frontline Engineering Co. Ltd: “With our many years of experience in the water sector, we appreciate KSB’s continuous development in the areas of safety, reliability and innovation.” The Thai company found KSB products to be the best solution for the pumping station in Ubon Ratchathani. As well as alleviating the situation in the city during periods of flooding, the pumping station also provides water for those who need it in the dry season.
Maximum performance instantly required
Stormwater and flooding place exacting demands on drainage pumps. Even after periods of prolonged standstill, they need to run reliably and instantly deliver maximum performance, while transporting huge quantities of water. Thanks to intelligent variable speed systems, the pumps achieve their optimum operating point – saving energy and reducing costs.
Consultants, engineering contractors and operators around the globe rely on flood control pumps from KSB. However, it is not only the pumps, valves and support services that they value, it is also the company’s extensive technical expertise. When designing these systems, it is critical that no mistakes are made to ensure that pumping stations function as intended in the event of a disaster.
KSB’s specialists support their customers with their technical know-how and offer engineering services. For example, the experts create computational fluid dynamics analyses and simulate the inlet conditions or flow velocities of a flood control system in order to design it in the best possible way.
Pumps for disaster relief
If entire areas of land or urban areas are under water after heavy rainfall, they must must be drained as quickly as possible. KSB also offers pumps for mobile flood control. These high-performance grey water pump sets help to drain flooded buildings and prevent major damage. In 2021, the company donated a number of these pumps for disaster relief purposes during flooding in western Germany.
“I am proud that KSB employs fail-safe technology and expertise to help ensure that people living in flood-prone areas feel safe,” says flood control expert Kishor Gokhale.
Increased flooding worldwide
Between 1980 and 1999 there were 1,389 floods. The period between 2000 and 2019 saw 3,254 flood events.
Source: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
“With flood control pumping stations, the reliability and therefore the quality of the pumps is the most important factor.”
Kishor Gokhale, Flood control expert at KSB in Singapore
Mexico City
Mexico
In order to permanently protect the residents of the Mexican capital from regularly occurring flooding, the CONAGUA water authority launched what was Mexico’s largest and most important infrastructure project. La Caldera is a pumping station which works together with a combined sewer system to drain and pump away stormwater and waste water from a particularly exposed part of Mexico City and the surrounding region. KSB provided a tailored solution for the customer: The 24 Amarex KRT K submersible waste water pumps used meet all the demanding technical specifications without exception. The total pumping capacity is 40 cubic metres per second at a head of almost 30 metres. KSB also met the tight schedule in order to protect the residents from flooding as quickly as possible.
