Issue: Water management

This issue contains 4 sections.

Delta Programme

The Netherlands is the best protected delta in the world. But how can we ensure that we remain protected from high water – now and in the future – and that our supply of freshwater is secure?

And, in addition, how can we ensure that the Netherlands remains an attractive country in which to live, work and invest? The measures that are necessary to this end are prepared and elaborated in the Delta Programme. The Delta Programme is a national programme in which the Dutch government, provinces, municipalities and water authorities work together in collaboration with civil society organisations, the business community and knowledge institutions under the direction of the government commissioner for the Delta Programme (the Delta Commissioner).

Every year on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament) the Delta Programme for the year ahead is presented to the House of Representatives. 

Reasons for the Delta Programme

Being safe and staying safe

That we are able to live in our delta is never simply a matter of course. It demands constant efforts to ensure that we are safe, and stay so. The work is never finished. Measurements show that the sea level is rising and subsidence is occurring. We are expecting more extreme weather with more wet periods. Rainwater must be discharged via the rivers. The prevailing safety standards date from the 1960s and were set after the disastrous flood in the south-western Netherlands in 1953.
Today, we have more to protect than we did 50 years ago. Away from the coast and behind our river dikes lies a densely-populated area with people, animals and goods that are vulnerable if flooding occurs. Almost 60% of our country is vulnerable to flooding, including our economic heart. Flooding results in unimaginable suffering and damage. Protection from floods – caused by the sea as well as by our large rivers – is therefore of vital importance.

Sufficient freshwater

In addition, measurements show that the temperature is rising. We expect that our summers will become increasingly warmer and drier, which will put our supply of freshwater under pressure. Not so much our drinking water, but water on which the agriculture sector, industry and nature depend.

Anticipating

The measured rise in the sea level, subsidence and rising temperatures are forcing us to look further ahead and to anticipate developments that will occur in the distant future. Moreover, our current safety measures are not in completely good order. We want to avoid disasters and ensure that we are well prepared for the events of today and those of the future. We are doing this through the Delta Programme.