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.
[iii] https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/3/437
[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
