Vitens, which supplies water to around six million Dutch people, must prepare for all kinds of threats. From the growing risk of water pollution and the consequences of drought, to malicious parties wanting to penetrate the water infrastructure.
“Every day we see new forms of threats surrounding our resources, our buildings and our digital infrastructure. We have to constantly update our systems,” says CEO Tjeerd Roozendaal from the head office in Zwolle. “Unfortunately, this is not decreasing, but increasing. And that requires significant investments.”
The price of water will increase by 9 cents per cubic meter
The price of water will increase by 9 cents per cubic meter, Vitens shareholders decided on Friday. For an average household, this amounts to 9 euros per year. Other water companies are also increasing their rates. “It will become more expensive, but it will remain relatively affordable.”
An employee of drinking water company Vitens takes a water sample in Kanaleneiland in Utrecht. In the region there was talk that a fecal bacteria had contaminated the water, making drinking it not recommended for a number of days. © Ramon from Flymen
Water board taxes are also increasing: for a four-person household the bill goes from 478 to 510 euros. The water boards also mention ‘safety’ as one of the reasons.
‘Increasing numbers of DDOS attacks’
Vitens will invest part of the money in ‘resilience’. “The physical security of our outdoor objects deserves more attention than ever before: fences, cameras, stricter control over who has access to the locations,” says Roozendaal.
The advice in the Utrecht region was to first boil the tap water before consumption. © ANP / HH
There is also a lot of attention to cyber security. “We see increasing numbers of DDOS attacks and other tricks by cyber criminals. Others see that too. That is why we are also approached by services such as the AIVD and the NCTV: look at these types of issues with more awareness.”
Security services: other countries ‘are prepared to resort to sabotage’
The security services publicly warn of possible attacks on our infrastructure by ‘state actors’ – other countries, that is. The MIVD reported that the Russians are investigating how it can sabotage the Netherlands, for example by disrupting internet cables, gas pipelines and wind farms in the North Sea.
“Russia and China in particular pose a threat to Dutch vital infrastructure in various ways,” the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security recently noted. There have already been incidents in numerous European countries that “show that actors are also prepared to actually commit sabotage.”
What could sabotage of the drinking water system in our country look like?
The Netherlands has been skipped so far, but what could sabotage of our drinking water system look like? “I would rather not give examples of this in the newspaper,” says director of asset management at Vitens Okke Peijters.
Roozendaal: “We keep a file: what special and strange things could happen during this time? And what measures would we take? This is how we prepare ourselves.”
This booklet about emergency situations will soon be delivered to 8.5 million Dutch people: ‘So you don’t have to hoard’
He gives an example. “What if someone puts a drop of poison in the well water? Our infrastructure is connected, but we can also close a valve remotely and shut off a flow from the larger whole, so that people are not bothered by such a drop of poison. In times of greater threat, you are more likely to use it.”
It doesn’t take much to disrupt society
It doesn’t always take much to disrupt society, experts say. This became apparent earlier this month, when 125,000 Utrecht residents had to deal with contaminated drinking water after the discovery of a poop bacteria.
“There was nothing wrong. Our systems detected minor contamination in time, after which we immediately took action. We continued to supply water; the advice to boil the drinking water for a while was to pile certainty upon certainty,” says Roozendaal.
Hoarding behavior led to empty shelves
Yet the situation led to hoarding behavior and empty shelves in supermarkets. The government advises people to have water in their home as a preventative measure to get through a period of three days. The Utrecht episode shows that not everyone is prepared.
Empty shelves in Bilthoven, shortly after it became known that a poop bacteria was found in the water. © ANP / HH
Clear communication – and combating fake news – is therefore part of being resilient for Vitens. “We are more concerned than ever with telling our story, there should be no discussion about the reliability of our water.”
Increased risk of emergency: preparation required for 72 hours without water, electricity or internet
In principle, the Dutch drinking water system is very safe, says Roozendaal. The systems surrounding it can be vulnerable. “The world is changing, we have more to do. Everything to ensure safe drinking water 365 days a year.”