The limits of the Netherlands’ water system have been reached

Long-term drought, severe storms, and rising sea levels; Without a clear policy, we will eventually find ourselves surrounded by water, without a drop to drink, explain  Maarten Kleinhans ,  Esther Stouthamer  and  Niko Wanders. How can we bring our water system back into balance? By investing in more room for rivers; by de-fragmenting land use in the Netherlands to make it easier to adjust water levels; by embedding the 'Water and Soil Preeminent' policy in the law as well as in government policy; and by immediately starting to build climate-proof buildings with a required Climate Test. That is how to implement effective policy that can quickly adapt to the latest developments. Room for rivers. The water level of our rivers is rising due to rising sea levels, which prevent rivers from draining into the ocean, and by more water draining from Belgium and Germany. Combined with more extreme rainfall, the rivers therefore need more space to store all the water. Raising or reinforcing dikes may seem to be a solution, but they are by no means effective everywhere.