Climate warning for North Holland: new KNMI scenarios reveal the need for action

Following the results of the KNMI, water boards decided to A.D know that as much as possible must be done to protect the Netherlands against the consequences of climate change. For example, the water board tax will increase and, according to them, the government must invest in the design of our country.

Challenges in North Holland

Remco Bosma is the dike manager of the Hollands Noorderkwartier Water Board, the largest water board in our province, and explains the consequences of climate change. “This concerns sea level rise, but also more water entering the atmosphere. This in turn means that there will be more heavy showers and longer periods of drought.”

According to Bosma, the biggest challenge in our province is that water needs more space, and how we deal with that. “North Holland is completely surrounded by water and 80 percent of our area is below the NAP. For example, when too much water falls, that water must be pumped away.” It is possible to remove water in advance, ‘but that is not possible in our province, because we have a lot of peat soil’.

Great temptation

North Holland also faces a major housing construction challenge, says Bosma. “There is a great temptation to build in the lower areas, but different choices have to be made.” Bosma advocates the ‘realization of water buffers and overflow areas, and the raising of dikes’ in the province.

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Water buffers and overflow areas

During periods of drought, the question arises how we deal with scarcity. “That requires a change in the behavior of water users. For example, agriculture is a major consumer of water, which could be done more efficiently.”

According to Bosma, we also collect a lot of rainwater, but it now flows away evenly and quickly. “We can buffer that water.” This already happens here and there in our province. Bosma points to the drainage basin, where surface water collects polder water and drains it to the sea or the IJsselmeer. “That’s a drainage canal we’ve had for years.” Bosman also wants additional water storage facilities near water, so that a low piece of ground can be flooded.

There’s work to be done

Bosma acknowledges that there is a lot of work to be done, but also wants to emphasize that a lot is already happening. “Technically, we can do a lot. So I look positively to the future. But we must not only combat the effects, but also continue to tackle the source. It is also about different behavior, such as emitting less CO2.”