Part i From defence to adaptationcontent.alterra.wur.nl/webdocs/internet/corporate/... · fresh-water demands during heat waves for irrigation, drinking water, and power station cooling-water

climate changes dutch water management 01

Foreword 02

Part i FromdefencetoadaptationTheDutchDelta 05

Livingbehindthedykes 08

Climatechange 12

Strategyforthefuture 16

Part ii SmartexamplesTheCoast 20

Rivers 24

Towns 28

Watersupplyandwaterquality 32

HighandLowintheNetherlands 36

Communication 40

Contacts 46

Acknowledgements 47

AuguST2007

AuguST2007climate changes dutch water management

Throughoutthecenturies,TheNetherlandshashadto

defenditselfagainstthethreatsofwaterbybuildingdykes

anddams,canalizingriversandcreatingmorelandfor

economicactivities.TheDeltaWorkswereamajoreffortto

sealthecountryofffromthethreatsofthesea.Theywonthe

countryinternationalrenown.Hollandhadachievedtoliveand

workbelowsealevel.TheRoyalNetherlandsMeteorological

Institute,KNMI,frequentlyreportsnewweatherrecords.Eventhe

usuallyphlegmaticDutchhavenotfailedtonoticethatclimateis

changing.

TheimpactsofclimatechangeareweakeningtheDutch

resiliencetowaterthreats.Majorresearchprogrammesstudied

thecountry’svulnerabilitytoclimate,bothingeographicterms

andpereconomicsector;theylearntthatclimatechangeis

threateningsecurity,economy,livelihoodqualityandecology.

Witharisingsealevel,asubsidinggroundlevelandincreasing

variationbetweenwetanddryseasons,Hollandfacesnew

challenges:morewaterintheriversduetointenserainfall;

salinizationofsurfacewaterandgroundwater;andincreasing

fresh-waterdemandsduringheatwavesforirrigation,drinking

water,andpowerstationcooling-water.

Theresearchinsightslearntthatcurrentwatermanagement

practiceshadtobereconsidered.Seadefencesandcanalised

rivers,whichunderlaythemeasuresthatguaranteedHolland’s

water security, do not suffice for the future. While applying the

sequelofretaining,storinganddischargingsurpluswater,we

hadtoadaptourwatermanagementtolimitundesirableimpacts

onourlivelihood.Meanwhile,wemustnotcloseoureyestothe

opportunitiesclimatechangemayoffer.

Since1995,adaptationhasbecomeourwatermanagement’score

business. Doing nothing is no option. We are increasing flexibility

androbustnessbyallocatingmorespaceforwater:digging

ditches in the floodplains, constructing bypasses, designating new

overflow areas. At the end of 2005, the Dutch government followed

suitbygivingthegreenlightforthedevelopmentofanational

adaptationstrategy.ThestrategyisbasedonKNMI’sscenarios.

Theguidingthemeisthesearchforanoptimummatchingofwater

andspace,makinguseofnaturalprocessesandmanagingrisks.

In implementing the strategy, we are focussing on area specificity,

characterisedbylocalsolutionstolocalproblems.Communication

playsavitalroleinmobilizingsupportfortheimplementationofthe

large-andsmall-scalemeasures.

Climate changes Dutch water management

02

AuguST2007 climate changes dutch water management

Atnationallevel,fourministries,provincialandlocal

governments,andthewaterauthoritiesarecollaboratingon

thisissueforthecomingdecades:“makingtheNetherlands

climate-proof.”Wearelookingforpartnershipswiththeprivate

sector,non-governmentalorganisationsandcivilsociety.Old

traditionsinurbanandlandscapeplanning,publicworksand

watermanagementarecoupledwithnewtechnologies,while

planningandimplementationarebeingorganizedaccordingto

thecelebrated“DutchPolderModel”–consultationbetweenall

stakeholdersinvolved.

Wearehappytoexchangeandmakeaccessibleourknowledge

andexperienceswithotherselsewhereintheworld.Thisbooklet

startsoutdescribinghowourwatermanagementstrategyhas

evolvedoverthecenturiesfromincreasinglydefensivemeasures

toanadaptiveapproach.Thesecondpartpresentssmart,area-

specific examples in planning and zoning of water, land and

ecosystemsforourcoast,rivers,citiesanddrinkingwaterutilities.

Thelastchapteraddressestheimportanceofcommunication.

Thebookisrichlyillustratedanditprovideslinkstointeresting

sourcesoffurtherinformation.Thebooklet’sintentisbothtoshow

howtheNetherlandsarestrivingtoremainclimate-proof,andto

provideyou,thereader,withideasandcontactstosupportyour

effortstothisend.

MarkDierikx

Director-General for Water Affairs

Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management

03

The Netherlands above and below sea level

dunes and beach 200 m

between 0 and 1 m

below sea level

above 1 m

The Dutch Delta

Living behind the dykes

Climate change

Strategy for the future

Part I

>>

From defence to adaptation


TheNetherlandsisoneoftheworld’s

40largestdeltas.Fiftymillionpeople

liveinthebasinsoftheriversRhine,

MeuseandSchelde.TheDutchdeltais

comparabletosuchdeltasastheNile

atCairo,theMississippiatNewOrleans

andtheYangtzeatShanghai.Themajor

advantagesofdeltasarethattheycontain

thebestagriculturallandintheworld

(importantfortheworld’sfoodsupply)

andthattheyhouseimportantinland-and

coastalwetlands,withhighbiodiversity.

Great varietyTheRotterdamMainportontheNorthSea

coastgivestheNetherlandsapowerful

position.Rotterdamisoneoftheworld’s

largesttranshipmentports,whereevery

yearthreehundredthousandtonsofgoods

aretransferredfromtensofthousandsof

vessels,representingmorethan10%ofthe

grossNationalProduct.Theareaaround

theportoffersopportunitiesforinnovation

withcoastaldefences,watermanagement,

wetlands,freshandsaltwateragriculture,

aquaculture,housing,watersportsand

tourism.Opportunitieswhichhavebeen

happilymadeuseof.

NatureintheDutchdeltaincludes

mudflats, salt marshes, inland seas, lakes

andislands.Theoriginal,naturaldelta

landscapecontainedbogwoodlands,reedy

marshesandpeatbogs,muchofwhichhas

been lost in the fight to give more space

foreconomicactivitiesintheNetherlands.

The Dutch Deltathe netherlands lies in the delta

of the rivers rhine, meuse and

schelde. the dynamics of the

delta have brought the country

prosperity – prosperity that we

like to maintain and expand.

>>

the rhine flows into the Netherlands from the south-east

at Lobith and then, five kilometres further, it branches

intotheriverWaalandthePannerdensCanal.Next,the

Waal splits into the Lower Rhine and the IJssel. As it flows

westward,theWaaljoinstheMeuseatanumberofpoints.

TheWaalisoneoftheworld’sbusiest,mosteconomically

importantrivers.TheRhineisoneofEurope’slongest

riversat1320kilometres.Theentirebasinencompasses

185,000squarekilometres.

05


Themostimportantremainingtidalwetlandis

theWaddenSeainthenorthofthecountry.

Thiswetlandreserveisinternationallyimportant

becausemillionsofwaterandwadingbirds

useiteveryyearduringtheirmigrationfrom

NorthernEurope,AsiaandAfricatoforageand

recuperate.

Dynamics of the DeltaAdeltahasitsownnaturaldynamic.Itis

dominatedbyfreshorsaltwater,areasdryout

or are flooded, banks are washed away, sand

isdeposited,anddunesdevelop.Everything

isonthemoveduetowindandwater.The

humandynamicofagriculture,industry,docks,

housingandtransportheavilyinterfereswith

andrestrictsthenaturaldynamic.“Pavingthe

Deltawithconcrete”hasbroughtuseconomic

The Netherlands above and below sea level

dunes and beach 200 m

between 0 and 1 m

below sea level

above 1 m

the river maas (Meuse)entersthecountryfromthesouthat

Eijsden. It makes a wide bend, first along the Belgian border and

thenfurthernorthwardsalongthegermanborder,enteringthe

Maas and Waal Country near Cuijk, after which it flows westward.

Theriveris925kminlength,withitssourceroughly200kmnorth

ofDijon,409metersabovesealevel.TheDutchpartoftheMaas,

downtoitsmouthinHaringvliet,is300kmlong.Thebasinis

36,000squarekm–roughlythesizeoftheNetherlands.

06


prosperityatthepriceofalotofnature.

TheDeltaWorks(seeChapter2)have

broughtusahighlevelofsecurityand

wonderfulexamplesofDutchhydraulic

engineering. But the closure and

compartmentalisationoftheseainletshave

alsoledtoadeclineinmarinebiodiversity

andhavegivenrisetowaterquality

problemswhich,inturn,haveaffected

fishing and leisure activities.

Whenitcomestowater,theNetherlands

isoneofthesafestcountriesintheworld:

riverdykesaredesignedtobeovertopped

onlyoncein1250years,whiletheNorth-

East Polder and Flevoland may only flood

on average once every 4000 years. But, do

thesesecuritystandardsstandinthefaceof

achangingclimate?

The boulevard of Vlissingen. Here the Westerschelde flows into the North Sea.

the schelderisesinthenorthofFranceat95meters

abovesealevelandenterstheNetherlandsviaghentand

Antwerp.Theriveris360kmlong.TheScheldedischarges

into the Western Schelde between Hulst and Bergen op

Zoom.ThismeanderthenemptiesintotheNorthSea.

07


Thehistoryofwaterinthe

Netherlandsiscenturiesold.

Systematicembankmentofrivers

startedasearlyasthe12thcentury,when

waterboardorganisationswerefoundedfor

localgovernanceandwatermanagement.

In the same period the first polders came

intoexistenceand,around1450,themajor

riverswerepracticallyallembanked.That’s

when the Netherlands also took up the fight

withthesea.NotthattheDutchpeople

always won: one of the first documented

seastormsurgestocauselargescale

flooding occurred on 28 September 1014.

Elevenmoreweretofollow.

Inthe19thcenturytheNetherlandsbecame

a unified country in both political and

watergovernance.Theearly1800swere

devoted to the control the flooding of major

riversandmakethemnavigable.Improved

knowledgeofthewayriversbehaveled

toacomprehensiveplanto‘normalisethe

neglected’rivers:riverbedsweredredged,

canalisedandthewaterlevelregulated.

Theresultswereimpressive.In40years

the danger of flooding had receded and the

riverswere‘normalised’;straightenedout

andcanalised.Thisnormalisationapproach

lasteduntilthemid-1960s.Thecompletion

ofthebarragesintheZuiderzeeandthe

Living behind the dykestraditionally, the dutch have

regarded water as their

enemy. up till around 1200 ad

dutchmen defensively built

their houses in flood- prone

areas on man-made dwelling

mounds. Between 1200 and

1950 we aggressively built

dykes and canalized rivers.

From 1950 till 1995 the dutch

managed their water systems,

respecting also ecological

values. From 1995 onwards,

adaptive management is being

developed.

08


Delta finally also brought the hazards

fromtheseainthe20thcenturyunder

control. The last major flood to ravage the

Netherlandsoccurredin1953.

Zuiderzee WorksTheseawateroftheZuiderzee(nowthe

IJsselLake)usedtopenetratedeepintothe

country, causing regular flooding. At the end

ofthe19thcenturytheengineerCornelis

Lelypresentedaplanforpartialpoldering.

Between 1918 and 1932 a dam, called

theAfsluitdijk,wasbuilttocloseoffthe

ZuiderzeefromtheNorthSealeadingtothe

creationofanewinlandlakeandnewland.

Delta WorksSecuritywasthemajorreasontoconstruct

the Delta Works. The disastrous floods in

theSouth-westoftheNetherlandsin1953

acceleratedtheimplementationofthe

plans.Newtechnologywasusedtokeep

theNieuweWaterwegandtheWestern

Scheldeopen,maintainingtheaccessibility

oftheportsofRotterdamandAntwerp.The

solutionfortheScheldetooktheformof

BreaCheS In The CoaSTLIne

n 1014 StormsurgehitstheLowCountries.

Theseabreachesgreatgapsinthe

coastline–virtuallyclosedoffat

thattime–betweenFlanders

andNortherngermany.

n 1170 AllSaintsFlood.Theseabreaks

throughthedunesatDenHelderand

Texel.ThiscreatestheZuiderzeeand

theWaddenSea.

n 1287St.LuciaFlood.WestFrieslandiscut

offfromthepresentFriesland.

n 1421St.ElizabethFlood.Largeareas

of Zeeland and Holland flooded.

DykesbreachedintheSouthHolland

Waardleadingtothecreationofthe

Biesbosch.

n 1530 St. Felix Flood. Disastrous flood

mainlystrikesZeeland.

n 1570 SecondAllSaintsFlood.Extreme

hightides,mainlyinFriesland

andZeeland.

n 1703FlooddisasterinNorth-western

Europe,thousandsdead.

n 1717ChristmasFlood.Morethan10,000

killedinNorthernNetherlands,

germanyandDenmark.

n 1825FloodinginNorthernNetherlandsand

Overijssel.

n 1916Stormsurgecombinedwithhigh

water levels in rivers leads to flooding

roundtheZuiderzee.Provesdecisive

inthedecisiontocloseoffand

partiallyimpoldertheZuiderzee.

n 1953MajorstormsurgestrikesSouth-west

Netherlands,1835killed.ADeltaPlan

mustpreventanyrecurrence.

>>

the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier,

costing € 2.5 billion, with its 62 sluice gates,

whichareonlyclosedatextremehigh

tides.Thedamwascompletedin1986.The

Maeslantkeringwasbuiltinthe1990s:two

immenseswinginggatescancloseoffthe

NieuweWaterwegifthewaterlevelrises

toohigh.

TheDeltaWorkshavecausedagreat

dealofdamagetotheecosystems,but

09


alsoallowedthecreationofnewnatural

andrecreationareas.Thelengthofsea

dykewasreducedby700kmthanksto

thebarrage,inlandshippingreceived

anenormousboost,andlargeareasof

theSouth-westNetherlandsareclosed

offfromthesea.Aboveall,thesafetyof

millionsofpeopleisnowassured.

Water, my friendgivenDutchhistory,ittookarevolution

inourthinkingtogivewatermorespace,

eventoregarditasafriend.Amajor

impulseinthisdirectionwasgivenby

thenear-disastersinthe1990s(‘near’

disastersbecausenoonewaskilled).In

1993,highwaterlevelscausedproblems

atvariouslocationsalongthemajorrivers.

Another wave of flooding followed in 1995

–thehighestsince1926.Therewere

doubtsaboutthestabilityofthedykes,so

inJanuary1995,inthespaceofasingle

week,250,000personswereevacuated,

togetherwithentireherdsoflivestock.After

afewdays,asthewatersrecededand

nodykeswerefoundtohavegivenway,

theresidentscouldreturnhome.Thinking

aboutwatermanagementchanged

fromthattimeon,catalysedbythe

consequencesofclimatechange.Arising

sealevelandhigherwinterwaterlevelsin

therivers,worseningdischargeproblems

andincreasingdifferencesbetweenwet

anddryseasons,causedpeopletorealise

thatexcludingwaterwouldnotbringsafety.

Itispreciselysafetythatwas,isand

remainsthenonnegotiablegoalofDutch

watermanagementintheorderof:retain,

store,anddischarge.Now,though,the

increasing excess floodwaters during

extremeconditionscannotbedischarged

quicklyenough.Morespaceisneededto

retain floodwaters. And through innovative

spatialplanningandinnovationdynamic

coastaldefences,fewerdykes,andfewer

dunesareoptions.

Thenewapproachmayappearsimple,

butitisn’t,evenifonlybecausethecosts

aresohigh,costswhicharetobeborn

bysociety.Thechallengeistocreate

sufficient support throughout society.

10

A complex of floodgates in the Afsluitdijk near Den Oever.

TheMaeslantkeringintheNieuweWaterwegnearRotterdaminclosedcondition.


Themajordefensiveworksuptillthe

endoflastcenturywerebuiltandpaid

forbygovernment.Inturn,government

guaranteedsecurity.Thingsaredifferent

now.Adaptivemanagementinvolves

everybodyandrequirespublicsupportat

alllevelsofsociety.Adaptivemanagement

isasharedresponsibilityforalllevels

ofgovernment,theprivatesector,non

governmentalorganisationsandcivilsociety

atlarge.Communicationisakeyfeatureof

ournewstrategy.

ThewindmillsinthepolderofKinderdijk.

11


Toincreasetheunderstandingof

theimpactsofclimatechangethe

RoyalNetherlandsMeteorological

Institute,KNMI,hasdevelopedfourclimate

scenarios, representing the latest scientific

viewsonclimatechangeintheNetherlands.

Thesescenariosutiliseclimatemodel

simulationscreatedfortheFourthIPCC

Report,whichappearedin2007.

Tailor-made, regionalScenariosaredescriptionsofapossible

future.Theyareframedingeneralterms

andareperiodicallyamendedonthebasis

ofimprovedclimatemodels.Theseclimate

modelsandthescenariosaremadefor

largegridscale.Adaptationofadrinking

watersystem,ofdykedefences,sewer

systemsoranirrigationsystemisalocal

affair.Thedevelopmentoftailor-madeand

downscaledclimatescenariosandclimate

modelsisessentialtoprovidetherequired

specific information on regional and even

localimpactsforwatermanagementand

waterservices.OverthelastyearstheKNMI

hasdevelopedtheregionaldownscaled

models.Mid2006itpresentedtheresultsof

itsstudies.

TheresultsoftheKNMIscenariostudiesare:

n TheNetherlandscontinuestobecome

warmerinallscenarios.Forthe

Netherlands,globalwarmingmoreoften

meansmildwintersandhotsummers.

n Thewinterswillbeonaveragewetter(as

muchas28%in2100)andtherewillbe

moreextremeprecipitation.

n Extremerainfalleventsinsummer

increaseinintensity,butwithfewerrainy

days.Thisincreasestheprobabilityand

lengthofdryperiods.

n Increasedprobabilityofextremelydry

periods

Climate changein the netherlands, climate

change has a direct impact

on hydrology, on water

management systems and on

water services. this chapter

presents the impacts and their

consequences on water.

12


n The flows in the major rivers increase

inthewinter.Insummertime,theriver

flow may be unchanged or lower.

n Thesealevelcontinuestorise.

Besides an expected absolute rise of

35–85cmin2100,allowancemust

alsobemadeforlandsubsidencein

thewesternpartoftheNetherlands,

whichmeansthattherelativesealevel

risewillbegreater.

n Theprobabilityofextremeweather

eventsincreases:heatwaves,and

heavyrain.

The netherlands in a changed climateTheconsequencesofclimatechangein

theNetherlandscanalsobedetected

now.ItisexpectedthattheDutch

summerclimatewillsoonlookmorelike

thatofParis.

n Risingsealevelleadstoerosionof

sandalongthecoastandgreater

unsafetyofimmediatecoastal

localities.

n greaterwinterprecipitationwilllead

to large flows in the Rhine and Maas

basins.Theprobabilitythattherivers

will flood increases. Major cities such

asRotterdamandDordrechtare

vulnerabletofurtherincreasesofsea

levelastheriverscannotdischarge

theirwaters.

n Moreintensesummerrainfall

increases the frequency of overflowing

ofcombinedsewersinurbanareas.

n Thereisagreatimpactonnature:

seasonsstartearlier,ecosystemsand

vulnerableplantandanimalspecies

disappear,exoticsappear.

n Humanandanimalhealthisaffected:

heatstressinthecities,increased

incidenceofLymedisease.

n Longperiodsofdroughtmayharm

agricultureandnature,butmayalso

havefavourableeffects.Long,hot

summersarefavourabletoagriculture

andmarketgardening(longer

growingseason,lesslikelihoodof

frostdamage),leisureandtourism

(extendedoutdoorseason,more >>

13


CoastalareawestoftheEasternScheldtStorm Surge Barrier.

14


outdoorleisure)andmorehotdays

have a positive influence on the Dutch

population’shealthandwelfare.

Thescenariosleadtodescriptionsof

possible futures and are theoretical. But the

increasedfrequencyofrecorddroughts,

rains,andheatwavesvalidatetheir

relevanceandjustifyaction.

record heat waveJuly2006wasthehottestJulyinthe

Netherlandssincerecordsbeganin1706.

Themeantemperatureof22.3°Cwas

4.9degreeswarmerthannormal.The

seawateralongthecoast,at20–24°C,

wasalsowarmerthanusual(18°C).April

2007alsoenteredtherecordbooks.The

averagetemperaturehadcertainlynot

beensohighin300years,suchlonghours

ofsunshinehadneverbeenmeasured,and

rainfallwasthelowestinmorethan100

years–notadropformorethansixweeks.

Theserecordsalonearenoproofof

climate change, but they do fit into the

trendtowardsawarmerclimate.

Summer 2003 consequences of drought for water resources and managementTheextremelyhotanddrysummerof2003

(mean of 18.6°C), led to very low flow

intheRhineriverandcausedincreased

salinationofseveralfreshwaterinlets.

Thesefresh-waterinletsmaintainthewater

levelsinthepoldersandpreventsalination

fromgroundwater.

Thecoolingcircuitsofseveralelectrical

powerplantscameunderthreat,anda

numberofthemranatreducedcapacity

forafewweeks.Thedischargepermits

statethatcoolingwatermayhavea

temperaturenohigherthan30°C,forcing

severalbusinessestolimittheirproduction

capacity.

Thedroughtledtothecollapseofa

numberofpeatdykes(Wilnis,Rotterdam,

andStadskanaal).Thecountryhasover

3,500kmofpeatdykeinlow-lyingareas.

Thepersistentdroughtledtomanyof

themlosingacriticalamountofwater.

Theybecamelighter,startedtoshrinkand

thencollapsed.Therelativelydrywinterof

2003–2004didnotallowthesedykesto

regaintheirstrengthin2004.

15


Both nationally and locally,

climate change is seen as a

challenge: climate change

increases risks but also offers

opportunities. government

at all levels, the business

community, research institutes

and ngOs are collaborating

to reduce the risks and use

the opportunities. major

multistakeholder and

interdisciplinary research

programmes provide the

scientific credibility about

the impacts, vulnerabilities

and response options. the

government in has started to

develop a national strategy

and adaptive management

measures at national and down

to local level, and is looking

for partnership with the private

sector and civil society.

Strategy for the future

>>

Majormultistakeholderand

interdisciplinaryresearch

programmesstudyalready

severalyearstheimpacts,vulnerability

andresponseoptionsofclimatechange.

Theprogrammesareconsortiaof

numerousresearchinstitutes,universities,

government,nongovernmental

organisationsandtheprivatesector.

Asfaraspossible,theprogrammes

aredemanddriven:issuesofconcern

tothepublicareincorporatedinto

newandexistingresearchprojects

andprogrammes.Apartfromresearch

institutionsalsoothersarealsoinvolved

intheprogrammes,includinggovernment

(atlocal,provincialandnationallevels,

plusthewaterauthorities),consultancies,

banksandotherbusinessinstitutions,

andnongovernmentalorganisations.The

programmesdrawscience,policyand

practicetogether.

Majorresearchconsortiaandprogrammes

are:

n ClimatechangesSpatialPlanning

(KlimaatvoorRuimte),

www.klimaatvoorruimte.nl

n Habiforum,www.habiforum.nl

16

CLImaTe ProoFInG The neTherLanDS on The LonG Term

Theresultsoftheresearchprogrammes,

togetherwithaparliamentaryrequest,have

providedthecredibilitytolegitimiseastrong

governmentresponse.Theresponsewill

havetobeagovernmentdecisiontogo

towards “climate proofing the Netherlands”.

Torealisethisambitionanationalstrategy

(ARK) is being developed to increase flexibi-

lity,robustnessandadaptivecapacityatall

levels.Oftheadaptationmeasures,alarge

majorityinvolveswater.


PeopleconstructinganemergencydikeinArcenduringanextremehighwaterlevelintheMaasinJanuary1995.

17


n LivingwithWater(LevenmetWater),

www.levenmetwater.nl

n KnowledgeforClimate(Kennisvoor

Klimaat),www.minvrom.nl

Forthedevelopmentoftheadaptation

strategycentralgovernmenthasentered

intoanagreementwithministries,provincial

governments,localauthoritiesandwater

authorities.Thepartnersforthenational

strategyare:

ministriesn Housing,SpatialPlanningand

Environment(VROM);

n Transport,PublicWorksandWater

Management(V&W);

n Agriculture,NatureandFoodQuality

(LNV);

n EconomicAffairs(EZ);

Umbrella organisations:n InterprovincialConsultation(IPO);

n AssociationofNetherlandsMunicipalities

(VNg);

n Association of Water Boards (UvW)

more specific adaptation policies

Flood safety

Possibleconsequencessuchassealevel

riseandhigherriverdischargeshave

alwaysbeentakenintoaccountintoour

(legislative) management cycle for flood

protection.Thisresultsintoregularraising

andstrengtheningofthedunes,dikesand

otherworkstokeepthematthelegallyset

standard.

Animportantelementinthenationalstrate-

gyistheacknowledgementofanarea-spe-

cific approach, which is described more fully

inPart2ofthisbooklet.

18

The new way of thinking about flood

safetydoesnotonlylookatthestandard

basedonprobabilitybutassesseshowwe

canalsotakeintoaccountthepossible

consequences of flooding. For example

by improved flood mitigation planning

(decreasing the consequences of floods).

coast

Anewvisiononcoastalpolicyisbeing

prepared,inwhichclimatechangeis

featuringprominently.

Multilevel institutional co-operation on

flooding and droughts

Theexistingagreementbetweennational,

intermediateandlocalgovernmentlayers

willberevised;newdevelopmentsrelated

toclimatechangearebeingtakenonboard.

AuguST2007 climate changes dutch water management xx

Part II The Coast

rivers

Water supply and water quality

high and Low in the netherlands

>>

Towns

Communication

Smart examples

the netherlands plays a major role in the global economy and is an attractive place to live and invest in. if it is to stay this way, though, the country has to remain safe. we anticipate that climate change will cause the sea level to rise by 35-85 cm according to the forecast by the Knmi scenarios.

The Coast

AuguST2007climate changes dutch water management20

Thedunesandseadykesinthe

Netherlandsprotectonehalfof

thecountryfromthesea.Thearea

justinlandofthecoastlineiscloselybuilt

upon,majorcitieslikeAmsterdamandThe

HaguelieontheNorthSeacoast,along

withvaluablenaturereserves,andthe

economicallyimportantportofRotterdam,

andAmsterdamAirportSchiphol.

Cracked polder landAhighersealevel,combinedwithincreased

rainfallandhigherwinterwaterlevelsinthe

riversformathreattosecurity,withallthat

thatinvolves:

n Dischargeofexcessriverwaterstops;

n Inflowing sea water leads to increased

groundwatersalination;

n Temperature increases change flora,

faunaandthefreshwaterstocksinthe

dunes,whichcanaffectthetreatmentof

domesticwater.

examples of adaptation for the coast

1. ComCoast solutionsComCoaststandsforCombinedFunctions

inCoastalDefenceZones.ItisaEuropean

projecttodevelopinnovativesolutionsfor

coastalprotection.

ComCoastconcentratesonthedevelopment

ofmultifunctional,economicallyfeasible

waterdefencezonesalongthecoast,

providingamoregradualtransitionfrom

sea to land, to the benefit of the coastal

populationandenvironment.

The project is concentrating first of all on the

sea dykes, partly to find affordable, long-

termalternativestocontinuouslyraisingthe

heightoftheexistingseadefences(see

QuickFacts).

2. Wave overtoppingBy heavily reinforcing the front of sea

defencedykesbutnotthereverseslopes

incombinationwithtemporallystorage

provisionsforseawaterbehindthedykes

heavywavesareallowedtoovertopthesea

defencesunderextremeconditions.When

AuguST2007 climate changes dutch water management 21

>>

thestormabates,thewaterthathas

toppedthedykeispumpedout.

3. Sand supplementationSandsupplementationinvolves

artificially pumping extra sand onto the

coastline.Whereasthisusedtobedone

mainlyonthebeach,itisnowmore

oftendonejustoffthebeach,belowthe

watersurface.Thetidalwavemovement

ismadeuseoftotransportthesand.

Theextrasandalsodampensthe

waves.Theneteffectofthisapproach

ispreventionoferosionofthebeaches

andthedunes.

Tothenorthofthebreakwateratthe

HookofHolland(nearRotterdam),

localsandsupplementationcaneven

leadtoasuperduneupto65meters

inheight.Thiswillinturnleadtothe

creation of new coastal flow patterns

andnewnature.Thedunewillalso

beaspectaculartouristattractionwith

paraglidingfromthetop,forinstance,

andatremendousview.


ThedunesandseadykesintheNetherlandsprotectonehalfofthecountryfromthesea.

4. Combating salinationThemainwaytocombatsalinationisby

flushing with fresh water. In the Netherlands

DeltathewaterintheNieuweWaterweg

ontheRiverMaasiskeptfreshwithwater

from the Rhine. This is needed to flush out

thesurroundingpolders.Lowsummerwater

levelsintheriverleadtoproblemswiththe

supplyofirrigationwaterintheSouthWest

oftheNetherlands.

Increasedtemperatureswillallowblue-

green algae to flourish in inland waters.

Theycanbeeffectivelycombatedby

admittingsaltwatertothearea,whichthe

algaecannottolerate.

QUICk FaCTS

n makedykesandthehinterlandtolerantto

waveovertopping;

n improvethewavedampeningeffectofthe

foreshore using artificial reefs, concrete

structurestobreaktheforceofthewaves;

n sandsupplementation;

n allowsaltmarshestospreadfromtidal

openingsintheprimarycoastaldefence,

eitherusingdiversorbyredesigningthesea

walls;

n find solutions for the increased salination

(sluicegatesinstormsurgebarrages);

n activatepolicymakers,plannersandthe

public;

n gainpublicsupportformultifunctionalcoastal

zoneuseanddevelopment.

more information

n UK, Belgian, German and Danish

governments

www.verkeerenwaterstaat.nl

n geoDelft

www.geodelft.nl

n ComCoast

www.comcoast.org


the netherlands is a country with many rivers running through a low lying delta. the country is vulnerable to variations in rainfall due to climate change. a rise in sea level is a threat to the coast. Probably more important is that more rainfall may exceed the discharge capacity of the river systems. this is no cause for alarm if adaptive management measures are taken.

rivers


Formorethan150yearstheDutch

authoritiesbelievedtheycould

managetheriversbycontrolling

theirnaturalcourse.Anormalisationpolicy

waspursuedforapproximately100years

fromthemid-19thcenturyon.Meandering

riverswithsharpbends(calledirregularities

andabnormalities)werestraightenedout

andcanalised.Despiteagreatdealof

criticism,thistechnocraticmanagementof

thehydraulicsystemlastedintothe1960s.

Seriouswaterpollutionandecological

damagecausedachangeinpolicyatthat

time, to the benefit of the environment.

Changed thinkingSome30yearslater,thinkingchanged

again.SevererainfallinNorthernFranceand

Southerngermanyinthewinterof1995led

toextremelyhighwaterlevelsintheRivers

MaasandRhineintheNetherlands.More

than250,000peoplelivinginthepolders

betweentheMaasandtheWaalwere

evacuated.Therewasariskthatthedykes

would be breached, with flooding as a result.

Thedykesremainedintact,buttheevents

–whichrecalledthoseof1993–ledtothe

initiationoftheambitiousRoomfortheRiver

project.Notonlywerethedykesreinforced

andraisedinheight;optionswereexamined

toseeiftherivercouldliterallybeallowed

moreroom.TheRoomfortheRiverproject’s

prescriptionsfortheRhineincludedthesafe,

manageddischargeofincreasingvolumesof

watertothesea.FortheRhine,thevolumes

involvedhavebeencalculatedas16,000m3/s

intheshortterm(until2015)and18,000m3/s

overthelongerterm(post-2015).

Solutions and measures

1. room for the river: measures for high winter water levelsn Lowertheareasbetweenthedykesso

morewatercanbedischarged;

n Dig(additional)ditchesintheriver

bed, which can increase flow without

excavatingtheentirearea;

n Movethedykes.Movethewinterdyke

inlandat39locationstoenlargethe

river’swinterbed.


rivers

>>

n “Highwater”ditchesbehindthedykes.

Anewwintercoursefortheriver,away

fromtheexistingone,whichwillform

part of the river’s flow pattern under high

waterconditions.The“highwater”ditch

isenclosedbetweentwohighdykesor

areasofhigherland;

n Retentionareas(basins)intheregions

surroundedbydykes,toretainwater

temporarilywhenneeded;

n Removeobstacles(rebuilding);

n Lowergroynes;

n Deepenthesummerbed;

n Raisetheheightofthedykes.Make

dykeshigher(andwider),orstrengthen

themusingengineeringtechnology.

In total, these measures will cost € 2.2

billion.

2. Freude am FlussBesides safety and protection against water,

theFreudeamFlussprojectalsofocuses

onthemorepositiveaspects–thejoya

rivercangive.Theproject’sbasicpremises

are:

1. River the Lek: flood-control dam Hagestein 2. National Park De Biesbosch. 3. Basin of River the Beerze near Spoordonkafterthereconstructionofthenaturearea.4.TheWaalbrugnearNijmegen


fotoviaVenW1 2

3 4

n Ecosystem-basedwatermanagement,

meaningthatspatialdevelopments

willnotendangertheriver’snatural

functions.Naturalprocessesareno

longer eliminated (don’t fight the water);

rather,spaceisprovidedtothenatural

processes.

n Theinitiativecomesfromlocaland

regionalstakeholders,suchasthe

provinces,localauthoritiesandwater

boards,andsituatestheconceptof

securitywithinthecontextofhighquality

landscapeandecology.

n german,FrenchandDutchexperts

arecollaboratingandwillhavetothink

‘differently’.Ratherthancanalisingthe

river,FreudeamFlussisconsidering

flood-proof homes, industrial areas on

manmademounds,butmainlymore

roomforwater,natureandleisure.

n Rightfromthestarttheprojectworked

withthe‘FourCs’:Citizens,Companies,

CivilServantsandCouncillors(co-

production).

n Marketmechanismsareintroducedto

finance changes in land use. Ecotourism,

sand and clay extraction, and (modified)

house building can be major financial

drivers.

n Co-production:collaborationbetween

government,thelocalpopulationandthe

universities.

n Co-operationbetweenlocalauthorities:

theriverwasonceanimpenetrable

border,dividingthelocalstakeholders

both literally and figuratively. Freude

amFlusshasdoneawaywithallthat.

Optimumuseoftheareaaroundtheriver

canbemadeonlyifboththinkingand

actionscrosslocalboundaries.

FouryearsafterthestartoftheEuropean

FreudeamFlussproject,itseemsthatthe

approachhasbeensuccessful.

AnumberofDutchdistrictsalongthe

RiverWaal,Neunenburgingermanyand

NeversinFrancearereadytoamendtheir

zoning plans in order to find a satisfactory

balancebetweenthequalityoftheliving

environment,economicprospectsand

protection from flooding.

3. WaalWeeldeFreudeamFlusshasnowpassedonthe

torchtotheWaalWeeldeproject,which

iscollaborationbetweentenDutchlocal

authoritiesalongtheRiverWaalinthestretch

fromNijmegentogorinchem.Inadditionto

theresultoftheRoomfortheRiverproject,

whichloweredthegroynesintheWaalto

allowmorewatertobedischarged,tailor-

madesolutionsaretobefound.Theprocess

hascurrentlyresultedinaninspiringzoning

map, which offers sufficient water drainage

capacity(security),aswellasprospectsfor

nature,customisedsandextraction,and

flood-proof construction.

more InFormaTIon

www.ruimtevoorderivier.nl/

e-mail:[email protected]

www.freudeamfluss.nl/ned/


www.waalweelde.nl



when it comes to high water levels, the netherlands has learned its lesson. is it making more room for the water to avoid breaches of the dykes and to have adequate buffer capacity available for dry periods. this approach can also be used in the towns.

Towns


amsterdam

the hague

TheNetherlandshasbecome

increasinglyurbanisedinthelast

century.Thiswillonlyintensify

infuture.Thebuilt-upareaswillgrow,

meaningthatmorewaterwillneedto

bedrainedfromthetownsthrough

drainagesystemsorcombinedsewers

ortemporarilystoredifunsanitaryurban

flooding is to be prevented. Moreover,

urbanutilitiesarealreadyexperiencing

risingpeakdemandsduringextremeheat

conditions.

Proofing against climate and waterAdaptingexistingurbandrainagesystems

tochanginghydrologicalconditionsis

complicated.Newurbandrainagesystems

forurbanareasintheNetherlandstake

climatechangeintoaccount.

Eitherwaythewatermanagers,planners,

architectsandriskmanagersmustcome

togetherrightfromthestart,whenbuilding

(orrebuilding)isbeingconsidered.

The solutions are to be found in proofing

newsitesagainstbothclimateandwater.

Possible modifications include:

n Re-excavating filled-in urban canals;

n usinglocalwater;

n Diggingnewwaterwaysintheinner

cities;

n Removingpavedareas;

n Takingrainwateroutofthesewage

system;

n Creatingwaterstoragefacilitiesand

undergroundreservoirs.


1. Tilburg hotspotTheresearchprogrammeClimatechanges

SpatialPlanninghasselectedTilburg,in

thesouthofthecountry,asa‘hotspot’,

thankstotheambitiousclimatepolicy

pursued by this Brabant city, which is

situatedwithintheNationalEcological

Network. By using and developing the

existingcanalssurroundingthecityfor

housebuilding,leisureandasarobust

ecologicalpathway,theTilburgcouncil

providesspaceforwaterandbiodiversity.

Thelocalauthorityiscollaboratinginthis


>>

endeavourwith18localorganisations

(stakeholderparticipation).

Theobjectiveofthehotspotprojectis

todevelopactivitiesthatcuttherisksof

climatechange,whilesimultaneously

offering the opportunity to benefit from the

associatedopportunities.Otherregions

oftheNetherlandsareinterestedinthis

innovative project. It receives financial

support in the form of € 77,000 in grant

funding.

Thefollowingmeasuresarebeing

implementedintwonewly-developedcity

districts:

n waterexchangesystemsconduct

rainwatereithertothesewersortoa

storagefacility;

n thepatiohousinghasaspecialdrainage

system,allowingmostoftherainwaterto

seepintotheground;

n ditchesonthedistrict’soutermargins

functionsimultaneouslyasnaturezone

andwaterbuffer;

n inoneofthedistrictstheriverDongehas

beenwidenedtoprovidea150meter


ThecityofZutphenwiththepromenadealongthebanksoftheriverIJssel.

wideecologicalconnectionroute,creating

spaceforbothnatureandexcesswater.

2. Zutphen: new riverHighwaterlevelsintheriverIJsselcause

problemsintheeasterncityofZutphen.The

RoomfortheRiverprojectencouragednew

thinkingaboutbypassesandachanged

more InFormaTIon:

TilburgHotspot

www.cea.nl

www.tilburg.nl


ZutphenLocalAuthority

www.agro.nl/innovatienetwerk

www.ruimtevoorderivier.nl

www.zutphen.nl


overtheNewRiver.Thereisroomforan

urbanbeachalongtheIJssel.

Thedykesallowforavarietyofhousing

styles.(Situationathighandlowwater.)

mound landscapeHouses built on artificial mounds are so

constructed that they will float as the water

rises.Howoftenthathappensdependson

howhightheyarelocated:itcanvaryfrom

twodaystoafewweekseveryyear.

Existingmoundsactasanucleusfor

floating homes.

coursefortheriver.NearZutphen,onthe

westbankoftheIJssel,thereisroomfor

anewriver,9kmlong,whichoffersthe

possibilitytobuildintheriver.Theurban

environmenthasbeensodesignedthatthe

newdistrictscanstorewaterwhenneeded

andsocontribute‘inkind’totheriver’s

safety.

residential islandsTheresidentialislandsintheNewRiver

havebeensodesignedthattheycan

‘move’alongwiththeriverasthewater

levelschangethroughouttheyear.When

waterlevelsarehightheouterareas

overflow right under the houses built

outsidethedykes.Cafeteriasonthe

beach are able to float, rising up in times

ofhighwater,whichmeanstheyarealso

accessibleinwinter.

Dyke housesAnother housing estate fits in between

existingbuildingsandwillthusbeentirely

withinthedykes.Thehousesattheedges

arebuiltupagainstthedyke,lookingout

Design of a floating city.

shipping, industry, water companies, agriculture, leisure … they all use water from the rivers and groundwater every day. the impacts of climate change are expected to include higher temperatures, a rising sea level, more extreme rainfall and droughts. also, the rhine could possibly stop being fed by snow melt from the glaciers, and turn into a rain fed river. all of these changes will have effects on the water resources for drinking water.



IntheNetherlands,60%ofthedrinking

waterdereivesfromgroundwater,while

40%isdrawnfromtherivers.The

qualityandquantityofthedrinkingwateris

affectedbyanumberoffactors.

n Lesssummerdischargeleadsto

elevatedpollutantconcentrations.

Thereforetreatmenttechnologywill

havetobechangedandcoolingwater

dischargepermitsmustbeamended.

n Therisingsealevelincreaseschances

forbreakthroughsofsalinewaterinto

fresh-wateraquifers.

n germanandDutchbusinessesare

dischargingmoreheat.Thetemperature

oftheRhinehasbeenincreasing

overthelastyears.Themaximum

temperatureofcoolingwaterthatis

allowedtobedischargedtothesurface

waterhasbeenraisedfrom25°Cto

28°C.Thehighertemperatureleads

toincreasedbiologicalactivity,withan

increasedriskofE.colicontamination

andmorevigorousgrowthofaeromonas,

legionellaandLegionnaire’sdisease.

n Temperaturechangeincreasesthe

likelihoodofalgalgrowth,botulismand

legionella.

n River flow in the Rhine was so low in

2003thatsaltseawater,penetratedthe

freshwaterreservescausingfreshwater

shortages.

n InrecentyearstheDutchhave

steadilycometouselesswater,from

morethan134litersadayin1995

tonearly124litersin2005.Theuse

ofimproved,economicalwashing



>>

machines, dual flush toilets, and a

growing‘waterawareness’hasledtoa

cutinconsumption.Itishighlyprobable,

though,thattheaveragedemandfor

drinkingwaterwillriseagainbyafew

percentasthetemperatureincreases.

n Theincreasingfrequencyandintensity

ofheatwaveswillmeanfrequent,higher

peaksindrinkingwaterdemand.

Solutions and measuresWatermanagersanddrinkingwater

suppliers,suchastheDutchwatersupply

companies’researchandknowledgeinstitute

(KIWA)andtheAssociationofDutchWater

Companies(Vewin)arepreparingforthe

impactsofachangedclimate.Possible

adaptationstrategiesinclude:

n createfreshwaterstorageareastocope

withdryperiods;

n raisethegroundwatertabletocountersalt

waterpenetration;

n overhaulthesewagesystems;

n relocatecollectionpointsfordrinking

watertreatment;

A number of major flood channels will be constructed near Lomm and Well-Aijen that will run parallel to the Meuse. When the river rises, water will be diverted into the flood channels so that it can be discharged more rapidly downstream. This is the flood channel near Lomm.


n Storewaterandretainitinurbanareas;

n Storewateronagriculturalland;

n useseepagewaterforthefreshwater

supply;

n Transformpoorquality,brackishor

seawaterintodrinkingwater.This

ispossible,thoughexpensive,andit

demandsagreatdealofenergy.

more drainage water for the drinking water supplyIfincreasedrainfallleadstogreater

drainage,thenthewatercanbeextracted

andtreatedtomakedrinkingwater.The

AmsterdamDuneWaterSupplyareaisa

naturereserveofinternationalimportance,

withvastbiodiversity.Annually,thedunes

supply70millionm3ofdrinkingwater,60

millionm3ofwhichissupplementedwith

pre-treatedwaterfromtheRiverLek.

more InFormaTIon

www.vewin.nl

www.nederlandleeftmetwater.nl

www.kiwawaterresearch.eu

www.pwn.nl


there are no mountains in the dutch countryside. in our terms, ‘high’ means the areas above sea level. these ‘high areas’ frequently experience drought conditions. the greatest challenge, though, is posed by the low-lying areas of the country, where towns, polders, agriculture and nature reserves lie below sea level.



Inmanyofthehigherareasthepresent

levelsofprotectionarenolonger

adequate.Extremesummerrainfall

causesproblemsinthetransitionalareas

wheretheslopesmeettheplains.Water

shortagesoccurrelativelyfrequently

inthehigh,sandyareas;increasing

aridityimpactsonwaterquality,with

consequencesforagriculture,water

withdrawlandnature.

Oneproblemthatischaracteristicof

theNetherlandsisthecapillariesinour

hydraulicsystem,whichhavedevelopedto

suchadegreethatthesystem’scapacityto

actasaspongehasdisappeared.Severe

rainfalloverloadsthelargerwatercourses.

Thesolutiontothishastobefoundatthe

source:thewatercanberetainedonlyby

re-creatingtheoriginal,naturalprocessina

landscape of brooks and fields enclosed by

hedges,withitowncharacteristicbiotope.

The Low netherlandsThelow-lyingpartoftheNetherlands

consistslargelyofpeatandmarineclay.

The water level is kept artificially low to

assistagricultureandhousing.Pumping

theboglandsdryleadstooxidationand

acceleratesthecompactionofthesoil,

acyclethatcausesthealreadynaturally

low-lyingareasofthecountrytodrop

evenfurther.Insomecasesthismay

amounttotwometersbelowsealevel,

withsomeexceptionalcases,suchasthe

HaarlemmermeerpolderandAlmereinthe

central Netherlands, lying five or even six

metersbelowtheAmsterdamOrdnance

Datumlevel(NAP).

Decliningsecurity,lackofbuffercapacity

inperiodsofextremerainfall,lackoffresh

waterduringextremedroughts,quality

problemsduetotheadmissionofoutside

watertothearea,andadvancingsaline

seepageareincreasinglycausingdamage

andraisingmanagementcostswhich,in

manycases,arenowdisproportionatein

relationtoagriculturerevenues,whichare

theprimaryreasonformanagingthewater

thisway.Thiswayofworkingmustcome

toanend,evenintheabsenceofclimate


>>


change,whichwillonlyincreasethe

necessityandtheurgencyofmanagingthe

waterinaradicallydifferentway.

measuresOnewaytolimitnuisanceandactual

damageisriskmanagement,which

involvesthefollowingprimarymeasures:

n Building a second dyke behind the

primarydefence.

n Settingupasatisfactoryevacuation

plan.

n Changingthecapacityoffunctionalities

orareastorecover.

n Compartmentalisation:

n Controlled flooding should no longer

affectanentiredykeringbutonlypartof

it,andshouldnotcausedamage.

n Compartmentalisationandprotective

functions:compartmentalisationinurban

areas,forinstance,canensurethat

services such as hospitals, fire brigade

orpolice,orevacuationroutes,will

remainoperationalduringadisaster.

n Damagedfunctionalitiesordisaster-struck


ThelowestpointintheNetherlandsis6.76metersbelowsea-levelwhilethehighestpointis322.70metersabovesea-level.

areasrecoverfasteriftheenergysupplyor

transportnetworksremainintact.

other measuresn Modification / reconstruction of the

sewagesystem.Donotspecifyasingle,

nation-wideformatbuttailorittolocal

conditions:urbanproblemsandthosein

theinteriorcountrysidearedifferentfrom

thosealongthecoast.

n Openupthefunctionalitytodebate.

Howdothecostsandconsequencesof

keepingthepeatlandsdrycomparewith

agriculturalyields?

n Adoptalayeredapproach:makebetter

useofthecharacteristicsandproperties

ofdifferentsoillayers.

n Allocatesitesnearpumpingstations

andpeatlandareaswherewatercan

bestoredandallowmultifunctionaluse:

leisure,newnature,andnewtypesof

agriculture(e.g.samphirecultivation).

n Flexible,temporarywaterdefencesasan

alternativetodykes.

n Reconsiderationofbuildingplansinvery

low-lyingareas.

n Managedurbanisation.

n Intensivecollaborationbetweenthe

varioustiersofgovernmentandan

integratedapproachtothewaythe

poldersarelaidout.

n greaterattentiontowater-related

aspectswhenbuildinginthelowestpart

oftheNetherlands,theZuidplasPolder

(6mbelowsealevel).

more InFormaTIon:

MinistryofTransport,PublicWorksand

WaterManagement

www.rijkswaterstaat.nl

DienstLandelijkgebied

(RuralAreasService)

www.dienstlandelijkgebied.nl

Staatsbosbeheer

(NationalForestryService)

www.staatsbosbeheer.nl

ProjectbureaudriehoekRZgZuidplas

(Rotterdam–Zoetermeer–goudaTriangle

Project Bureau)

[email protected]


what can communication mean?

current thinking on climate

change is largely based on

research, monitoring and our

daily experience: the climate is

changing. if we seek to avoid

worse (mitigation) and want to

take steps to adapt (adaptation),

then what is needed is legitimacy

provided by policy makers, a

scientifically sound knowledge

and public support to adapt.

communication plays a key role

in building public support for

adaptation and mitigation.


Communication

TheNetherlandsisn’tjuststanding

by,butistacklingsuchproblems

as increased river flows, sea level

rise,extremerainfallandextremedrought

bymeansofamajorresearchprogramme,

ClimatechangesSpatialPlanning,andthe

interdepartmentalprogrammeARK(Spatial

PlanningandAdaptationtoClimate).

Toencourageincreasingawareness,

bothprogrammesplacehighpriorityon

communication,tokeeppolicymakersat

alllevelsofgovernment,theprivatesector

andthepublicatlargewellinformed.

Communicationpavesthewayforaction.

The netherlands Lives with WaterOverthepastfouryears,anumberof

organisationshavesucceededinraising

theawarenessofboththepublicand

administratorsbymeansofawideranging

campaign,“TheNetherlandsLiveswith

Water”,involvingcustomisedcampaigns

inthemassmedia,administrativeand

educationalcircles,andtheregions.Inthe

yearstocometheywillcontinuetouse

“TheNetherlandsLivewithWater”asa

powerfultheme,expandingitandwhere

possiblelayingstressonconcretemeasures

andexamples,recognisabletothepublic

andinspirationalforadministrators.

Collaborationwithregionalgovernments

will be intensified. (The organisations are:

MinistryofTransport,PublicWorksand

WaterManagement,Associationofthe

ProvincesoftheNetherlands,Association

of Dutch Water Boards, Association of

NetherlandsMunicipalities,MinistryofPublic

Health,SpatialPlanningandEnvironment,

andMinistryofAgriculture,NatureandFood

Quality)

“TheNetherlandsLiveswithWater”

campaignhasachievedgoodresultsbutthe

Dutchgovernmentwillneverthelesshaveto

concentrateevenmoreoncommunicating

theeffects,risks,andopportunitiesof

climatechange,andthemeasuresneeded

toadapttoit.Wherewaterisconcerned,this

meansfollowingthepathalreadyembarked

on:communicatetherisks,opportunities,

possiblefutureactions,available

knowledge,availabletools,etc.Along-term


>>

Communication

communicationstrategywillinvolveall

relevantstakeholderswiththenecessary

adaptationmeasuresinanopendialogue.

Thegoalistoensureactiveco-operation,

inwhichallstakeholdersaccepttheirown

responsibility.Theexperiencealready

gained,togetherwiththe“NetherlandsLives

withWater”campaign’sownnetworkwillbe

usedtothefull.

Visible “al Gore effect”Inmanyrespects,communicationabout

theclimateissueisunique.Theproblem

demandsalong-termapproach,even

thoughtheimpactscanbeobservedtoday.

Climatechangeiscurrentlyattractinga

greatdealofmediaattention,withspace

allocatedtobothcriticsandprophetsof

doom.Thankstothe“Algoreeffect”(‘An

InconvenientTruth’and‘LiveEarth’)and

the Bill Clinton Initiative, climate change has

becomeared-hottopic.Whatisatstake,

though,arenotjustthefactsofclimate

change,buthowtheyareinterpreted

andpresented.Forexample,theRoyal

NetherlandsMeteorologicalInstitute(KNMI)


Climatechangeisahottopicnowadays.Theproblemdemandsalong-termapproach,eventhoughtheimpactscanbeobservedtoday.

receivesmanyqueriesaboutthetruth

of statements made in the media. Both

explicitlyandimplicitly,discussionsare

colouredbythefactthatitiswehumans

whocausethegreenhouseeffect.The

urgency of the climate issue is reflected in

thedecisionsmadebygovernmentpolicy

makers,businessesandotherorganisations

(suchasNgOs)onsuchmattersasnature

conservationorthespatialplanninginthe

Netherlands.

Clinton Climate InitiativeRotterdamistheonlycityinthe

NetherlandsthathasjoinedformeruS

president Bill Clinton’s Climate Initiative,

whichinvolvesmorethan50oftheworld’s

greatestcities,eachwithapopulation

ofmorethan3million,togetherseeking

practicable,measurablesolutionsinthe

battleagainstclimatechange.TheClinton

ClimateInitiativeaskedRotterdamtojoin

asthecityisaparadigmexampleofthe

interactionbetweenseaport,industryand

city,united,eachstrengtheningtheother.

Assuch,itisuniqueintheworld.


1. hotspot TilburgTheclimateissueinvolvesmany

stakeholders,allofwhomhavetoaccept

thesamebasicpremiseswhileworking

towards a collective mission. The first steps


towardsaprocess-orientedapproachhave

beentakenintheTilburgarea,underthe

ClimatechangesSpatialPlanning(Klimaat

voorRuimte)programme,withgovernment,

NgOsandbusinesscomingtogether

onclimatechange.Manystakeholders,

potentialandactual,areinvolvedinthe

region.Theydonotcommonlyacttogether,

as a group, but all of them play a significant,

evenaleadingroleinsociety.

TilburgisalreadydoingalottocutCO2

butitisbecomingincreasinglyevidentthat

adaptationisalsoneedediftheimpacts

ofclimatechangearenottobecometoo

burdensome.TheTilburgareaissituated

14metersabovesealevel(theAmsterdam

OrdnanceDatumlevel,NAP).Afterheavy

rainfall,thecityexperiencesnuisancefrom

overflowing sewers and flooding. But the

futurealsoholdsprospectsoflong-termdry

periodsandheatwaves.Nevertheless,the

regionalsohasopportunities,especially

inthetouristindustry,whichcanbeseized

now.Tilburgisinitiatingaresearchprojectin

collaborationwithothergovernmentorgans,

AuguST2007

Hier(Dutchfor‘Here‘)isthenameofalargeDutchclimatechangeawarenessprogramwhosefundamentalideaitistostresstheimmediatenecessitytoimplementadaptationprojectsandinitiativestoclimatechange.

universitiesandmarketstakeholders.A

localarrangementisbeingforgedbetween

theparticipantstodevelopagoodplan,

theimplementationofwhichisguaranteed.

Thecentralquestionsintheresearchare:

whatwillchangeintheregion?Howshall

wecopewiththesechanges,andwith

whom?Ifthisplanistosucceed,effective

communicationbetweenthestakeholders

isvital.

2. FramesInformationaboutthecurrent‘stateof

play’oftheclimateissueisbestserved

byanunambiguouscommunication

strategy.Initiativesarecurrentlybeing

developedatmanylevelstocontribute

tothis.IntheNetherlandsaresearch

projectwasrecentlystartedtoremove

blockagesinthecommunication

betweenstakeholdersandtopromote

theresponsibleinterchangeofviews.

TheworkisbeingdonebytheInstitute

forEnvironmentalStudiesoftheVrije

universiteitAmsterdam,theCopernicus

InstituteforSustainableDevelopment

climate changes dutch water management44


andInnovationatutrechtuniversity,the

FacultyofEngineeringTechnologyat

Twenteuniversity,andtheNetherlands

EnvironmentalAssessmentAgency.The

researchismainlydevotedtounderlying

conceptualschemes(frames)which,

forexample,cometoforewhendealing

withsmallprobabilitiesanduncertainty.

Intheirconsultationswithgovernment,

businessandotherorganisationsin

society,scientistsobviouslyusetheir

ownconceptualschemes.Thequestion

is,though,whatdotheseschemeslook

like?Howdotheyimpacteachother?And

canthingsbedonebetter?Theprojectis

plannedtolastfortwoyears.

3. hIer climate campaignHIER(whichmeans‘Here’inDutch)isa

majorDutchclimatechangeawareness

programme, thebasicideaofwhichis

tostresstheneedtoimplementclimate

changeadaptationprojectsandinitiatives

rightnow.HIERintroducesanew

brandname,unitingandrepresenting

allinitiativesthatreducetheimpacts

ofclimatechange.Thecampaign

involvesmorethan40nationalcharity

organisations,governmentandthe

businesscommunity.Allpartiesinvolved

havesigneduptothesamemessage:we

canstopclimatechange;wemuststop

climatechange,rightnow,forthefuture,

HEREandeverywhere.Thiscouldformthe

startingpointofaninternationalcampaign.

Climateadaptationprojectsarethekeyto

convincethegeneralpublicanddecision

makersthatclimatechangeisnotan

abstract,long-termenvironmentalproblem,

butincreasinglyamajorsocialissue,one

withimpactsathomeandthroughoutthe

world. Building on this growing sense of

urgency,theroleofenvironmentalNgOsis

toshowconsumerstherightchoices.

Thejointcampaignincludesseveral

strategies:

n AverysuccessfuleventwithAlgoreat

thelaunchof‘AnInconvenientTruth’;

n Amassmediacampaign;

n FieldtripstoNepal,CentralAmerica

more InFormaTIon:

n VrijeuniversiteitAmsterdam,Institutefor

EnvironmentalStudies

www.ivm.falw.vu.nl

n www.hier.nu

n www.senternovem.nl(ProjectDevelopment

HotspotTilburg)

n www.nederlandleeftmetwater.nl

andSouthAfricawithcelebritiestotell

thepublicabouttheimpactsofclimate

changeonpoorpeople;

n Acampaignfocusingonprimaryschools.

The first prize was a concert by Holland’s

popular rap artist Ali B;

n Dailyweatherprogrammeincludinga

climateitemeveryday.Theitemsare

proposedbytheRoyalNetherlands

MeteorologicalInstitute,Nature’s

Calendar,andtheparticipatingNgOs.

Thereisalsoan‘actionoftheweek’;

n Freepublicity.

45


Contactsn climate changes spatial Planning

(KlimaatvoorRuimte)


n alterra (part of wageningen university

and research centre)

www.alterra.nl

n national Programme arK

(ProgrammaAdaptatie

RuimteenKlimaat)

www.programmaark.nl

n leven met water

www.levenmetwater.nl

n habiforum

www.habiforum.nl

n comcoast

www.comcoast.org

n geodelft

www.geodelft.com

n ministry of transport, Public works

and water management

www.verkeerenwaterstaat.nl

n Freude am Fluss

www.freudeamfluss.nl/eng

n waalweelde

[email protected]

n room for the river(RuimtevoordeRivier)

www.ruimtevoorderivier.nl

n tilburg hotspot

www.tilburg.nl

www.senternovem.nl

n Vewin

www.vewin.nl

n nederland leeft met water

www.nederlandleeftmetwater.nl(Dutchonly)

n Kiwa water research

www.kiwawaterresearch.eu

n Perfector-E: Norit X-Flow and PWN

www.norit.com

n rural areas service(DienstLandelijkgebied)

www.dienstlandelijkgebied.nl(Dutchonly)

n national Forestry service (staatsbosbeheer)

www.staatsbosbeheer.nl

n Rotterdam-Zoetermeer-Gouda Triangle Project

Bureau(ProjectbureaudriehoekRZgZuidplas)

www.driehoekrzg.nl(Dutchonly)

n Vrije universiteit amsterdam, institute for

environmental studies

www.ivm.falw.vu.nl

n hier (here) campaign

www.hier.nu

www.klimaatbureau.nl

n Knmi

www.knmi.nl(Dutchonly)


n ThispublicationisajointcooperationbetweentheNetherlands

WaterPartnership(NWP)andtheCo-operativeProgrammeon

WaterandClimate(CPWC)

n SupportedbyPartnersforWater,theNetherlands

n Editors:H.vanSchaik,F.Ludwig,andM.R.vanderValk

(CPWC), B. Dijkshoorn (NWP), Synergos Communications

n Contributionsfromseveralgovernmentalinstitutionsandprivate

companiesintheNetherlands

n Delft,TheNetherlands,August2007

about the nwP

TheNetherlandsWaterPartnership(NWP)isanindependentbody

setupbytheDutchprivateandpublicsectorsintheNetherlands

toactasanationalcoordinationandinformationcentreforwater-

relatedissuesabroad.TheprincipalaimsoftheNWPareto

harmonisetheactivitiesandinitiativesoftheDutchwatersector

abroadandtopromoteDutchexpertiseinwaterworldwide.

about cPwc

TheCo-operativeProgrammeonWaterandClimateaimsto

improvethecapacityinwaterresourcesmanagementtocopewith

theimpactsofincreasingvariabilityoftheworld’sclimate.

acknowledgements

For further information please contact:

Co-operativeProgrammeonWaterandClimate

Mr.HenkvanSchaik,ProgrammeCo-ordinator

P.O. Box 3015 / 2601 DA Delft / The Netherlands

Tel:31(0)152151882/E-mail:[email protected]

www.waterandclimate.org

NetherlandsWaterPartnership,NWP

Mr. Lennart Silvis / P.O. Box 3015

2601DADelft/TheNetherlands

Tel:31(0)152151728/E-mail:[email protected]

www.nwp.nl

WaterWatch,www.waterwatch.nl

StichtingDeltawerkenOnline,www.deltaworks.org

Beeldbank Verkeer en Waterstaat

Photos

DuraVermeer,www.duravermeer.nl

MunicipalityofTilburg

RijkswaterstaatMaaswerken,www.maaswerken.nl

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