With particular respect to settlements and agricultural land in the country’s northern lowlands, floods occurred more often in recent years (almost annually) and caused serious damage. However, the majority of these dams were badly designed and are now, for safety reasons, operating at half capacity, limiting their usefulness in flood prevention. Despite the fact that illegal gravel abstraction decreased from 20 per cent in 2000 to less than 5 per cent in 2011, its impact still affect river beds and infrastructure today.