News item | 15-01-2025 | 3:00 PM
For centuries, the Netherlands has been protected by primary defenses such as dikes and dunes. To keep these barriers sufficiently strong, they must be reinforced again and again. The reinforcement task is continuously updated and made more concrete.
Today, Minister Barry Madlener (Infrastructure and Water Management) sent various documents about water safety policy to the House of Representatives.
Water safety laws
It is periodically checked whether the laws and regulations regarding water safety comply. The evaluations published today show that the 2017 Water Act is a good basis. However, it is necessary to focus more closely on efficiency and cost control in dike reinforcement projects. Further agreements on this will be made in 2025.
It was also examined whether the legal water safety standards that the defenses must meet are still appropriate. In short, these standards mean that everyone behind a primary barrier faces a maximum annual risk of death from a flood of 1 in 100,000 by 2050 at the latest. Where large groups of fatalities may occur or where substantial economic damage may occur, the standard is stricter. The analysis of the standards shows that most standards for dike sections are appropriate. In 2025, a decision will be made in consultation with the parties involved whether it is necessary to set a new standard for some routes.
Better view of reinforcement assignment
Managers of primary barriers continuously check whether their dikes or locks are still strong enough. Last year there was a national assessment round, during which each manager indicated which dike sections needed to be strengthened. It is now clearer which parts of these processes need to be strengthened. According to those figures, this is approximately 1,400 kilometers. When dike improvements enter the project phase, the task is determined even more concretely and then the number can change again.
An estimate has also been made of the costs of reinforcing approximately 1,400 kilometers of dike. This has a large bandwidth, namely between € 14 and 23 billion. The government and water boards now have approximately €12 billion available, which means that a shortage is likely to arise over the next 25 years.
For the projects in the current programming, it has been calculated that approximately €2.5 billion extra is needed between 2030 and 2036. The water boards have indicated that they will make € 1.25 billion available for this, on the condition that the government also commits to this. The government has a legal responsibility to also make its contribution to achieving the water safety goals, so agreements will have to be made about this.
As indicated in the coalition agreement, the Flood Protection Program will be recalibrated in 2025. Agreements will be made about the financial task, about stricter management of efficiency and about the progress of the program. The financial bottlenecks should not cause delays in implementation, the government will keep a close eye on this.