A third of the Netherlands is situated below sea level. Our country is criss-crossed by major rivers. And so the Netherlands is vulnerable to flooding. As a result of climate change, the sea level is rising and we will see higher river discharges more often. An ongoing focus on flood risk management in the Netherlands is crucial to maintain good protection against floods. In order to meet the targets for flood risk management by 2050, the Netherlands must make haste.
Without flood defences, such as our dikes, dunes and storm surge barriers, 60% of the Netherlands would be regularly inundated. That area is home to approximately nine million people and this is where approximately 70% of the Gross Domestic Product is earned. So sound flood risk management is extremely important.
National Water Programme, Sand Decision and Delta Plan
Flood risk management is one of the three themes in the Delta Programme. The Delta Decision for Flood Risk Management and the area-specific preferred strategies from the 2015 Delta Programme have been set out in the 2016-2021 National Water Plan. In addition, there is the Sand Decision. It describes how the Netherlands uses sand for natural protection against flooding from the sea. The 2022-2027 National Water Programme is the successor to the National Water Plan. It describes the national policy for water and management plans for waters managed by the national government. The Delta Plan for Flood Risk Management describes concrete measures for the implementation of the policy. The Flood Protection Programme (HWBP) (Dutch) is important for the implementation of the delta decision. In this multi-year implementation programme, the water authorities and Rijkswaterstaat are working on dike upgrades in an alliance.
Risk approach
Since the publication of the delta decision in 2015 and the 2016-2021 National Water Plan, the policy for flood risk management has made the switch to a ‘flood risk approach’. This links the level of protection to both the probability of flooding and the consequences. The approach allows the arrangements for flood risk management to be more efficient and effective. The new standards this involves have been included in the Water Act since 2017.
An animated film about the risk approach (Dutch) can be found here.