Since mid-July, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, there had already been an “impending water shortage”; now, the government speaks of an “actual water shortage. As a result, the so-called displacement series is put into effect. This statutory measure prioritizes important areas when a limited amount of freshwater must be distributed. The measure was already in force in the Vallei and Veluwe water board, but now also in the rest of the Netherlands.
Due to the ongoing drought, the Netherlands officially has a water shortage, the government announced Wednesday. The scarce water will be distributed according to legal agreements so that dikes, peat bogs, and very vulnerable nature will be provided with water as long as possible. More measures may follow in the coming weeks.
The priority in this plan is to keep the dikes safe and to prevent irreversible damage to nature and peatlands. After that, freshwater will be used to maintain drinking water and energy supplies. Other stakeholders – industry, agriculture, and shipping – join the queue later.
Drinking Water
Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) also wrote to the House of Representatives on Wednesday that the Water Shortage Management Team (MTW) will be convened for the first time since 2018. This organization comprises stakeholders from Rijkswaterstaat, water boards, drinking water companies, provinces, and three ministries (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Economic Affairs, and Climate and Infrastructure and Water Management).
According to the government, the drinking water supply is not in danger. However, Minister Harbers does ask all Dutch people to “think carefully about whether they need to wash their car or fill up their inflatable swimming pool.”
Due to the persistent drought, various measures were already in place. For example, there is a ban on spraying agriculture in the country. Also, ships are not allowed to overtake each other on parts of the Gelderse IJssel; the channel here has become narrow due to the low water level. In addition, the water level of the IJsselmeer is kept as high as possible because a lot of drinking water comes from it.
Dikes, soil, and nature receive water for as long as possible.
Dikes, soil, and nature in the Netherlands will be watered for as long as possible, even if there is a water shortage. This is laid down in the so-called displacement series, which water managers deploy in the event of a severe water shortage. The stability of the dikes is essential for national safety. Subsidence of the soil and irreversible damage to nature caused by drought and salinization must also be prevented because that can never be restored.
A severe water shortage occurs when the social and ecological need for water exceeds the available quantity of water, according to water managers. The available freshwater must then be distributed, and for this purpose, the series was included in the Water Act after the drought in 2003. At that time, a peat dike near Wilnis collapsed due to dehydration.
The distribution series identifies four categories of water users. The interests of shipping, non-vulnerable nature, agriculture, and water recreation fall into category 4, the group that may no longer use water. Category 3 includes water for capital-intensive crops and water for business processes. Water boards and provinces can decide on this at the regional level. Water boards Vallei and Veluwe and Aa and Maas have recently done so.
Drinking water and energy supply form category 2, i.e., immediately after water for dikes and nature. National decisions are taken in both types. The European Commission considers the drinking water supply the most important in the event of drought. The Netherlands differs from the European Commission because of the large amount of peat in the subsoil. Peat settles in the event of a significant drought, and that can cause subsidence. The water board in Zeeland has already taken emergency measures against this on Wednesday.
Filling inflatable pools
Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) also wrote to the House of Representatives on Wednesday that the Management Team for Water Shortages (MTW) was being convened for the first time since 2018. This team consists of Rijkswaterstaat, water boards, drinking water companies, provinces, and three ministries and may decide on measures that affect several regions or even nationwide.
The drinking water supply is not in danger, according to the government. However, Minister Harbers does ask all Dutch people to “think carefully about whether they should wash their car or fill up their inflatable swimming pool.
Due to the persistent drought, various measures were already in place. For example, there is a ban on spraying agriculture in the country. Also, ships cannot overtake each other on parts of the Gelderse IJssel. The channel here has become narrow due to the low water level. Moreover, the water level of the IJsselmeer is kept as high as possible because a lot of drinking water comes from it.
The National Coordination Committee decided this for Water Distribution (LCW) on Wednesday. The LCW is part of the Water Management Centre Netherlands of Rijkswaterstaat and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W). The LCW monitors the current drought situation by publishing a “drought monitor.”
The LCW scaled up to level 1 (‘impending water shortage’) on July 13 due to increasing risks of supra-regional water shortages and is scaling up further to level 2 (‘actual water shortage’) with immediate effect. Level 3 involves a national crisis due to drought. This previously occurred in 2003 and 1976.
Water management
In most parts of the Netherlands, the situation around the (fresh) water supply and water quality are still manageable. Still, due to the precipitation shortage, it is, according to the LCW, a more significant challenge every week to limit the adverse effects on nature, agriculture, and shipping’. Excessive drought damages natural areas, causes harvests to fail, and can cause cracks in dikes.
Effects of the drought that are already visible now are salinization of the water in the western Netherlands. Because the river discharges of the Rhine and the Meuse are low, less water is available to repel the seawater. Shipping is affected by reduced draught, especially on the Waal and IJssel, and by lock restrictions. Groundwater levels are locally very low in the east and south. The high water temperatures can cause local water quality problems. There are also reports of blue-green algae and fish mortality.
There is a ‘displacement series’ already in force for water shortages in some regions. Water defenses and dikes are the first to receive sufficient water. After that, drinking water supply and energy supply have priority. All other users (agriculture, industry, and recreation) follow.
Dutch advised thinking carefully about car washing
The drinking water supply is not in danger, according to the government. However, Minister Harbers does ask all Dutch people to “think carefully about whether they should wash their car or fill their inflatable swimming pool. “The Netherlands is a water country, but our water is precious even here.”
For several weeks now, it has been noticeable that the Netherlands is getting drier. “That’s partly due to a lot of evaporation in our own country and partly due to a very low river supply from abroad,” explains chairman of the established crisis team Michèle Blom. Water boards have already taken measures to retain and distribute the water as effectively as possible. For example, a ban on spraying crops with surface water or lock restrictions for ships. Now we can – when necessary – make faster and tailored decisions about how to solve water shortages.”
Due to the ongoing drought, several measures were already in place. For example, in parts of the country, there is a ban on spraying for agriculture. Also, ships cannot overtake each other on parts of the Gelderse IJssel. The channel here has become narrow due to the low water level. In addition, the water level of the IJsselmeer is kept as high as possible because this is where much of the drinking water comes from.
The last time the Netherlands was confronted with this decision was in the summer of 2018. The time before that: 2011. Since July 13, the Netherlands has been in phase 1: impending water shortages. On July 20, the water managers met again, but at that time, they did not think further scaling up was necessary.