Why are we not experiencing flooding in North Holland due to recent storms?

If we were to connect all ditches and canals from Amsterdam-North to Texel, there would be 20,000 kilometers of water. “Our area consists of lakes, ditches and ponds and this system with all these waters and pumping stations ensures that the water can easily flow away,” explains Cortel enthusiastically.

“We here are flat”

All these ditches and waters ensure that the rainwater is properly drained. And the many pumping stations in our region also help to pump out excess water. In addition, it may also have been positive that recent storms were the strongest on the coast. “The rain didn’t even have a chance to fall due to the wind. Only after the wind moved over the IJsselmeer and ended up in Drenthe and Limburg, the rain was able to fall a bit more calmly.”

And that means that we experienced almost no or no flooding due to the storm in North Holland, while in the east and south of the country we did. Drenthe and Limburg also have rolling landscapes. “Water always flows to a dimple and rolls down a hill. We are flat here.”

Waterland is a nuisance

Incidentally, in Waterland they still suffered from rainwater due to the storms. “But they are now familiar with that in that area,” Cortel jokes. In the Waterland region, the level between the top of the ditch water and the adjacent land is almost equal. “Sometimes you have the idea that you are driving lower than the ditch here. On Sunday a lot of rain fell and the land and the ditches collected a lot of water. The wind then blew the water out, closing the road.”

Despite the fact that we live almost 90 percent below sea level in North Holland, our extensive water systems and pumping stations offer us a helping hand. “We currently have three large pumping stations in North Holland and a fourth will be added in Monnickendam in a year and a half.”