Several water boards are concerned about falling groundwater levels and drought, now that it has not rained at all in parts of the Netherlands for four weeks. Measures are being taken especially in Brabant, where many areas are completely dependent on rain. The Aa en Maas water board calls the lack of rain in March ‘very exceptional’ and says it has never been this dry in March, unless it rains heavily before April 1.
In February it rained a lot and for a long time and there was major flooding in parts of the country. Friesland and Groningen are now the only provinces where there is no warning yet for an extra risk of wildfires. In sandy areas in the rest of the country, the water supply in the soil is quickly running out, while streams and ditches also drain less water than usual.
No spraying
The De Dommel water board will extend the spraying ban that always applies from April to October in the driest part of the working area from 1 April. Aa en Maas will decide next week whether there will be a spraying ban. Extra water is already being supplied from the Maas. All weirs are high, so that water is retained for as long as possible. The groundwater level is also lower than normal in the area of the Brabantse Delta water board.
Farmers are greatly inconvenienced by bans on spraying during this season. They sow their fields and grassland also needs water to grow. Water boards and farmers’ organizations are working hard on measures to be able to retain water for longer now that it is increasingly dry.