Safeguarding the drinking water supply
Clean drinking water is a day-to-day necessity for everyone. As the Dutch population and economy grow, we need more and more drinking water. The summers are also getting hotter and there are more droughts. The government is working to ensure there will always be enough good-quality drinking water, now and in the future, even in times of crisis.
Maintaining the drinking water infrastructure
Drinking water companies are investing in the maintenance and renewal of drinking water infrastructure, such as water distribution systems and wastewater treatment plants. This is also necessary because climate change, population growth and economic growth are increasing demand for drinking water.
Drinking water supply during droughts
Drinking water companies keep a close eye on water use and have plenty of reserves to supply everyone, even in the event of an extended drought.
People use more water on days that are hot and dry. They take more showers, water their gardens and fill paddling pools. During longer spells of hot and dry weather, drinking water companies ask everyone to use less water. It also helps if people stagger their use and don't all use the system at the same time. If necessary, water companies can lower the water pressure temporarily across the whole system. This way, they can still provide water to everyone.
Drinking water supply security
An interruption to the water supply can be a big problem for homes, hospitals and companies. Interruptions can occur for a number of reasons:
- a burst pipe;
- maintenance or repairs to infrastructure;
- a crisis situation, such as flooding.
Drinking water companies have service plans that set out how they will safeguard a constant supply of water, even during emergencies. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) assesses these service plans, which are confidential and must be updated every 4 years. The government has an action plan for drinking water supply security (in Dutch) to ensure there will be enough drinking water in the future too.
Much more drinking water needed by 2030
By 2030, an extra 100 million cubic metres will be needed every year (in Dutch) to satisfy society’s growing demand for drinking water. That’s why the government has drafted a Water Availability Action Programme 2023-2030 (in Dutch). It calls for new sites to be found for extracting drinking water. The government also wants to make it easier for drinking water companies to get extraction permits.
Using water wisely
Central government, water companies, water authorities, local and provincial authorities, and various sector organisations are working together as part of a national action plan to reduce water consumption (in Dutch). The plan consists of many actions, such as research into a new quality label for water-saving products and encouraging people to use water more wisely.