Delta Commissioner speaking on a news programme on Dutch radio station Radio 1
High water is causing many problems in Central Europe. What can the Netherlands learn from this, and more importantly, what can we do to prevent it? Radio 1 news asked Wim Kuijken to explain his response.
Extreme weather is causing the floods in Central Europe. No one can do anything about that, but you can be prepared for these kinds of situations, learn from them and take measures. That is what we did with the Room for the River programme after the high waters in the river regions in the 1990s. Where possible, you have to give water room, but more than that, you have to have an integrated approach to the problem of water. Link it to safety, to spatial planning and goals for nature and the economy. This integrated working method works.
You also need to form coalitions between water authorities and Rijkswaterstaat, as well as citizens, companies and provinces. Together, you take measures to reduce water levels. And, make sure that you actually achieve the goals: creating safety in the long term. We have set this down securely by establishing a Delta Commissioner who makes sure work continues at a good pace and brings together all stakeholders.
Moreover, it helps that our ‘insurance premium’ is properly arranged with a Delta Fund that makes 1 billion euros available for investing in the protection of the Netherlands every year. Another essential element is to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to provide insight into what the optimal level of protection is for each region in respect of the losses you want to prevent. And that is something we need, given that 60% of our country is vulnerable to flooding!