"Water Management in The Netherlands", Ingwer de Boer, Director Room for the River Program

1. Ingwer de Boer, Director Room for the River Program
Water Management
in The Netherlands

2. Contents
1. My country
2. History
3. Policy
4. Room for the River Program
5. Governance
6. Lessons learned

3. My country!

7. Water management in The Netherlands

8. The Netherlands

9. The Netherlands
below sea level
16 million people
More than 50% of
Dutch citizens live
below sea level

10. History

11. Flood History
• First Saint Elizabeth flood
(Nov. 1404)
• Second Saint Elizabeth
flood (Nov. 1421)
• Floods in the years:
838, 1014, 1530,
1570,1717, 1916

12. Villages engulfed by the sea

13. Dike Breaches 1700-1950

14. Storm surge 1953
•175.000 ha
•1.800 deaths

15. Policy
First Delta Act
21 February 1953 First Delta Commission
Two aims:
• To protect The Netherlands against
storm surges
• Secure the land against salt water
intrusion

16. Delta Works

17. Flood safety standards
1:10,000 years
1: 4,000 years
1: 2,000 years
1: 1,250 years
Investments & Operations:
National 550 Million € (2008)
(approx. 725 Million Austr $)
Maintenance:
Regional 200 Million € (2008)
(approx. 265 Million Austr $)
Total damage: 300 Billion €
(approx. 400 Billion Austr $)

18. Three stages of flood defence
Stage 3: Emergency
planning for evacuation
Stage 2: Excellent spatial
planning
Stage 1: Defence system,
prevention of floods

19. Flood safety standards
Catchment area of Rhine and Meuse
Discharge at Lobith (border NL)
• Average:
2,200 m3/s
• Highest level (1993/1995):
12,000 m3/s
• Discharge 1/1250 yr:
16,000 m3/s

20. Peak discharge at Lobith
18000
18,000m3/s
16,000 m3/s
16000 15,000 m3/s
hw Jan. 1995
14000 hw Dec. 1993
12000
m3/s
10000
8000
6000
Serious flood risks in 1993 and 1995
Today 15,000 m3/s
In 2015 16,000 m3/s (following implementation of Room for the
4000
River measures )
In 2050 18,000 m3/s (Delta Committee recommendation)
2000
1 4 7 10 13 16 19
days

21. Historical developments
Rapid urban development,
has resulted in drastic reductions in river space
Arnhem 1830 Arnhem 2000

22. Water distribution branches River Rhine

23. Near floodings
Evacuations 1993 and 1995
Evacuations

24. New approach towards flood
protection
The serious flood risks in 1993 and 1995
were a warning :
something had to be done
Reinforcement of dikes was not enough:
rivers had to be given more room to
ensure flood-safety in the future
Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment developed Program
‘Room for the River’

25. Room for the River Program
Room for the River
Two aims
1. Safer Dutch river areas by 2015.
Safety for 2-4 million inhabitants
2. Give local government a chance to develop
their spatial areas at the same time

26. More than 30 Room for the River measures

27. Room for the River: Technical measures
Deepening navigation channel Water storage Lowering of flood plains
Lowering groynes By-pass Dike relocation
Removing obstacles Strengthening dikes De-poldering

28. Room for the River: Program framework
-
Facts and figures
Discharge 16.000 m3/s at Lobith (1:1250 yr) - Approx. 150 families have to move
- From 600 to 39 measures - Approx. 50 farms have to relocate
- Investment € 2,3 billion (price level 2009) - 1280 ha decrease agricultural land
- Completion in 2015 - 1852 ha increase of nature
- Decentralized planning and execution
- 20 million m3 soil removal
- Long term: expected discharge 18.000 m3/s

29. Room for the River: IJssel project

30. Dike relocation: Nijmegen - Lent
Lent
trainstation
LENT
New quay
River Waal
Railway
bridge Waal Bridge
NIJMEGEN

31. The benefits of water

32. Dike relocation: Nijmegen – Lent
Train
station
LENT
New quay
River
Waal
Railway Waal
bridge Bridge
NIJMEGEN
NIJMEGEN
Lowering high water level with 70 cm

33. Nijmegen – Current situation

34. Nijmegen – New situation

35. River widening: Overdiepse polder
Lowering high water level with 30 cm

36. Lowering flood plains:
Deventer Normal
Planning: co-operation with
• Province
• Municipality
• Two Water Boards
• 2 projects in 1 process
• Lowering high water level with 25 cm
Realization: Flooded
One Water Board realizes both projects
and co-ordinates with an NGO project
of an ecological farm.

37. Governance
Program conditions
Responsibility of the Ministry of Infrastructure
and the Environment, together with the Ministry
of Economics, Agriculture and Innovation
• Completion of the program by 2015
• Budget: 2.3 billion € (approx. 3 billion Australian $)
• Commitment and co-makership of all regional parties
involved:
• 2 Central Government
• 5 Provinces
• 5 Water Boards
• 30 Municipalities

38. Process
2007
Identification
2012
2000
Design & legal procedures 2015
2006 Implementation
2008

39. Roles of program management
Process architecture
Providing expertise
Management and accountability

40. Process duration approx. 16 years
A complex environment:
• A politician’s term in office is 4 years
• The total Program period equals
4 political terms.
This requires:
• Co-makership and mutual respect
• Broad regional political and administrative
support
• Transparency in process and decision making
• Participation of non-governmental organisations

41. Room for the River: an international co-operation
International interest
(field trips, visits)
USA - China –– Korea – Vietnam
- Brasil – Poland
and… Australia

42. European partnership
Co-operation with
European partners in
EU subsidized projects
Total budget approx.
60 million Euro

43. Room for the River: an international co-operation

44. Second Delta Committee
The Delta Committee was established to
deliver recommendations to the Dutch
government on how to protect The
Netherlands against the consequences of
climate change in the long term (200 years)
This task went beyond merely flood
protection
The Committee’s vision embraces
interactions with life and
work, agriculture, nature, recreation,
landscape, infrastructure and energy.
.

45. Delta report
In 2008 the Second Delta Report was
published.
The strategy for future centuries rests
on two pillars:
~ flood protection
~ sustainability.
The report also emphasises the
opportunities for The Netherlands as a whole.
The report details 12 recommendations,
most important is a special act:
• The Delta Act
• A Delta Fund
• A Delta Commissioner
• A Delta Program

46. The Delta Report: Recommendations
Even with local sea-level rise scenarios of
0.65 - 1.3 m by 2100 and 2 to 4 meters by 2200
living in The Netherlands will remain possible,
if appropiate measures are taken
For the river regions this means:
• The Room for the River Program must be
implemented without further delays
• Where possible, measures must be taken now to
accommodate discharges of 18,000 m3/s for the
Rhine and 4,600 m3/s for the Meuse
• Completion of measures between 2050-2100 to
accommodate Rhine and Meuse discharges of
18,000 m3/s and 4,600 m3/s, respectively.
• Co-operation with neighbouring countries on the
European Floods Directive.

47. The Delta Report: Recommendations

48. Lessons learned
• Connecting short term gains
with long term objectives
• Engagement of local
actors/stakeholders
• Identify win-win situations
• The Program Directorate
connects the national government
with local governments
• In a changing political and social
environment, the program
objectives should remain intact

49. Thank you for your attention!
www.roomfortheriver.nl