Water management in The Netherlands

Water management tasks

The water authorities are responsible for preventing flooding. They also ensure that supplies of groundwater and surface water are sufficient and that the water is of good quality. The water management bodies in the Netherlands are Rijkswaterstaat and the water authorities. Each has various responsibilities, listed below.

• Rijkswaterstaat (RWS)
  Rijkswaterstaat is responsible for managing national waters. These are large bodies of water such as the sea, rivers and some of the larger canals. RWS issues timely warnings to the relevant government bodies when a high water event is expected or there is a storm at sea. It also maintains dykes, dams, floodgates and storm surge barriers. And it protects the coastline and ensures rivers have the room they need, for example by deepening flood plains and digging side channels.
• Water authorities
  Water authorities (in Dutch) manage water in the districts they serve. Some also maintain shipping channels and rural roads. They ensure that the water is clean and fish stocks are up to par, for example. They take measures to protect against flooding and ensure that farmers have enough water for their crops. They are also responsible for waste water purification.

Government authorities involved in water management

The Environment and Planning Act sets out the duties of the various government authorities with regard to water management. These are as follows:

• Central government
  Central government is responsible for creating national water policy and nationwide measures on water. It also sets flood safety norms for the primary flood defences (in Dutch), which is the system of dykes and dunes that protects the country from the sea and the water in the major rivers.
• Provinces
  Provinces are responsible for regional measures that arise from the national water policy (in Dutch). They also have operational tasks relating to water management, such as removing groundwater from the soil. The Environmental and Planning Act stipulates that managing the quality of the groundwater is also the task of the provinces
• Water authorities
  Water authorities (in Dutch) draw up management plans to ensure good quality water in their districts. They are also responsible for regional flood defences, which protect against flooding from canals, for example.
• Municipalities
  Municipalities are responsible for the groundwater in urban areas. They also manage the disposal of waste water and rainwater through the sewage system.

National Water Programme

The National Water Programme 2022-2027 (in Dutch) (NWP) sets out:

• the main points of national water policy and how the national waters and waterways are managed;
• the river basin management plans; 
• the flood risk management plan;
• the North Sea Programme. 

The Netherlands and international water management

The Netherlands wants to help countries around the world prevent flooding disasters. Together with other countries with expertise in water management, it provides water specialists who can help countries that do not have this expertise. The website of the Dutch Water Sector has examples of the projects the Netherlands is contributing to.