* mopping with the tap open
Expression used here and there by Some People
To have no chance of success, because the symptoms are controlled without addressing the cause.
"Geld geven aan de banken omdat ze bijna failliet gaan blijft gewoon dweilen met de kraan open."
"Giving money to the banks because they are about to go bankrupt is just mopping with the tap open."
4 out of 8 Dutch, Flemish speakers have heard this