It is very dry in the Netherlands. While there has been an ‘imminent’ water shortage since mid-July, from Wednesday there has officially been an ‘actual’ water shortage: the demand for water exceeds the supply.
Drinking water is sufficient, but the water level in the Rhine in particular is historically low and skippers suffer damage as a result; they can sail less, transport less freight and there are longer waiting times at the locks. Farmers fear the lack of rain for their crops and nature is also being damaged. Saltwater is penetrating further into the land as rivers do not drain enough to push this salty water back. And for the time being, the drought will continue, probably in the coming weeks.
Water managers do not rule out the need to take drastic measures in the near future, such as dividing scarce water over various sectors. The safety of the flood defenses is paramount, and nature must not suffer irreversible damage due to a lack of water. Subsequently, the energy supply and drinking water supply must not be endangered.
The Water Management Team (WMT) set up this week by Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management, VVD) hopes not to let it get that far. This team, consisting of experts from Rijkswaterstaat, water boards, drinking water companies, provinces and ministries, is already taking measures to cope with the drought.
Water boards have announced a ban on spraying crops with surface water, the water level of the IJsselmeer was previously raised as a large water buffer, more water is sent to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal against salinity in the west and water managers are calling on the Dutch to use water sparingly. “So don’t top up the swimming pool for the kids every day, don’t wash the car every week and don’t water the garden for a long time,” says Michèle Blom, director-general of Rijkswaterstaat and chairman of the WMT.
There is still plenty of drinking water everywhere. “Our facilities are so robust that drinking water can simply be supplied,” says Jaap Mos of the Hague drinking water company Dunea.
The consequences of the drought are not that bad, according to water managers, partly because the Netherlands is better prepared than before. “We have learned from the drought in 2018,” says Bart Vonk, chairman of the National Water Distribution Coordination Committee (LCW) that advises the WMT. There is talk of a ’tilt’ in water management, says WMT chairman Michèle Blom. “This country was always well prepared for too much water, but now we are well prepared for a shortage of water.” Dirk-Siert Schoonman, board member of the Union of Water Boards and dyke of the Drents Overijsselse Delta water board: “Water boards raised much more water levels in April and May and therefore retained water. The risk is more flooding if there is a shower. But that means we are now better able to withstand the drought.”
Maas up to standard
The cause of the drought is a combination of low rainfall in recent months, especially in the east and south of the country, plus low river discharges. More than half of the Rhine water comes in at Lobith than normal for this time of year; soon the discharge will drop below eight hundred cubic meters per second. The Meuse will remain at the right level, mainly due to the delayed discharge from the Ardennes.
According to the KNMI, it is still going too far to directly link the current dry summers with climate change. Sometimes there is also talk of ‘just bad luck’. Climate change does increase the risk of droughts, according to a ‘climate report’ from the weather institute.
Report from the Peel pg. 10-11