Here is a summary of the policy trends in river and flood management in the Netherlands since the 2010s. I have identified these on behalf of the Korean Research Institute for Human settlements. This is part one of a larger report.
Setting and background
The Netherlands is renowned for its long history in water management, both in practice and in policy. As it is geographically located at the end of the four large European river basins Rhine, Meuse, Ems, and Scheldt, and the main elevation of the country varies from 322 m in the South to minus 6.78 m below Sea level in the West[i] (see figure 1). Historically most of the country was swampland, leading to the exploitation of peat from the soil in long straight lines, for the purpose of fuel[ii]. This process started during the Roman era on a small scale and intensified as cities emerged around the year 1000. Ditches were created to dewater the peatlands and have enough space for agriculture. The remaining thin patches of peat started to compact further through oxidation, and levees alone were not sufficient to keep using the remaining soil for agricultural purposes. Around the year 1400 windmills were used to pump the water from the now lower lying soil into higher water draining canals. The largest exploitation was during the 19th century, and only around 1960s when gas was discovered in the North did the process stop.
Figure 1: Elevation and main rivers in the Netherlands[iii]
It should come as no surprise that already during the formation of the Dutch constitution in 1814 one of the first so-called articles of London declared that local areas should pay for their own flood defenses, except during disasters, which would be handled on a national level[iv]. In 1798 the Public Works Department (Rijkswaterstaat) was created to unite the local water protection efforts on a national scale[v]. In the 20th century this organization oversaw the construction of the Deltawerken, a series of storm surge barriers, sluices, and dams, in response to a great oceanic flood affecting mostly the coastal province named ‘Sea Land’. Similarly, after fluvial floods in 1993 and 1995 led to the evacuation of over 250,000 people as well as over 1 million cattle, for over a week, Rijkswaterstaat initiated a project called ‘Room for the River’ that allowed for multiple functions in the river floodplains while optimizing space during floods.
On a local scale, water boards have played a large role managing water for agricultural and drinking water purposes, as well as flood protection. The first water board was created in 1255 for the city Leiden in the West. Throughout the centuries the exact responsibilities and scale of the water boards have significantly, mostly during the last 100 years[vi]. In 1950 there were 2600 water boards, which was reduced to 260 in 1980. Currently there are 21 water boards in the Netherlands, showing that their scale and responsibilities have expanded significantly during the past decades.
Despite these two main stakeholders historically having a majority of financial and political capacity to shape water management implementation, municipalities themselves currently also guide priorities and share in financial and organizational project aspects. On a larger than municipal scale, there are 25 safety regions since 2010, who deal with any type of disaster, be their origin man-made or natural hazards, however these plans tend to focus more on response than on prevention.
This is where we find the Netherlands today. 18 million people, of which half live in the floodable 60% of the land below sea level, where 70% of the GDP is produced[vii] and the acting government resides. A population that is accustomed to the government managing everything regarding water safety and water consumption, and little to no experience with flood, heat, or drought preparedness. A land facing subsidence due to peat oxidation, large scale construction of infrastructure, increasing urbanization, as well as salt water intrusion and sea level rise. This alone is enough to soon increase the costs of water management beyond affordable. These issues combined lead to inevitable future changes. For example, the production of one of the Dutch most famous export products, tulips and other flowers, has increased by 21% since 2013[viii], but has as of yet no sustainable future. It is the expectation that within 20-40 years this horticulture cannot continue due to the rising costs of fresh water[ix].
Climate change is expected to exacerbate these processes by increasing intensity and frequency of fluvial and pluvial floods. At the same time, drought is increasingly an issue. Management of the local level of the 330.000 kilometers of ditches and 6.500 kilometers of canals and waterways is increasingly important, as waterboards and municipalities can only change public spaces and cannot force homeowners or farmers to change their gardens or the water levels in their ditches.
[i] https://www.ahn.nl/
[ii] https://www.geologievannederland.nl/landschap/landschappen/veenlandschap
Beusekom, E.J. van 2007. Bewogen aarde. Aardkundig erfgoed in Nederland. - Matrijs, Utrecht.
[iii] https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/3/437
[iv] (Colenbrander, 1909).
“Artikel 8 De kosten van de aanleg en het onderhoud van de dijken zullen gedragen worden door de direct betrokken districten, behalve in het geval van een buitengewone ramp.”
https://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/retroboeken/grondwet/#page=0&accessor=toc&view=homePane
Ontstaan der Grondwet, 1814-1815. Bronnenverzameling
[v] https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/over-ons/onze-organisatie/onze-historie
[vi] https://waterschappen.nl/ontdek-ons/
[viii] https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2024/16/oppervlakte-bloembollen-sinds-2013-met-ruim-een-vijfde-toegenomen
[ix] https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/05/16/watermanagers-willen-niemand-bang-maken-maar-weer-zon-droge-zomer-als-in-2018-dan-hoop-ik-dat-we-uberhaupt-nog-water-beschikbaar-hebben-a4893603
