1. The Dutch approach
Peter C.G. Glas M.Sc. LL.M. Col(r.)
President of the Dutch Association of Regional Water Authorities
Paris, September 21, 2010
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2. 2006

4. Netherlands – delta of 4 rivers
Ems
Scheldt Meuse
Rhine

5. Netherlands = Pays Bas = Low lands = wetlands

6. The Netherlands without flood defence
29 % below sealevel
26 % floodplains
55 % flood risk area
10 million people
€ 2000 billion
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7. Land subsidence
per 100 years

8. Land subsidence, sea level rise and water management

9. Inundation depths
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10. Urban development
As a result of urban development,
room for the river has been drastically reduced
Arnhem 1830 Arnhem 2000

11. Storm surge 1953
175.000 ha
1.800 deaths

12. River flooding of 1995
250.000 evacuees
Ooijpolder
Land of Maas and Waal

14. Delta project 1958-1997
• 700 km sea defence
• 12 dams
• 4500 M€

15. High tech engineering solutions
Maeslant closure
Port of Rotterdam
450 M€
Eastern Scheldt closure
Delta region
2500 M€

16. Room for the River 1995 – present
• > 800 km dike
improvement 400 M€
• 2200 M€
http://siti.feem.it/mulino/dissem/intcon/vanderm.pdf

17. Flood prevention principles for the future
1. Legally established flood safety standards
2. Water based physical planning and water proof building
3. Self reliance of the public and clear evacuation
procedures
– Awareness
– Avoidance
– Alleviation
– Assistance
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18. Three stages of flood defence
Stage 3
Stage 2
Stage 1
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19. Flood safety
standards
1:10000 yr
1:4000 yr
1:2000 yr
1:1250 yr
Investments & Operations:
National 550 M€ (2008)
Maintenance:
Regional 200 M€ (2008)
Source: Water in Beeld 2009

20. Rijkswaterstaat since 1798
National flood defence National highways
9000 fte, € 2.5 bln/y

21. Regional water authorities since 1250
“Waterschap”
3000 in 1950
26 in 2010
budget € 2,6 bln/y

22. Regional water authorities - self governance
Independent government body:
• 800 years old system
• own legal power
• own tax system
• own elections
• budget € 2,6 bln/y
• 10.500 employees
Water management tasks:
• 16 million people
• 235.000 km water courses
• 17.500 km dikes, levees
• irrigation and drainage
• groundwater management
• surface water quality
• 390 urban wastewater treatment plants
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23. Government institutions Netherlands
Central
Government
General Provinces Functional
Provincies
democracy (12) democracy
Municipalities Regional Water
(431) Authorities (26)
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24. Democratic representation
• Waterschap: stakeholder democracy:
o Residents
o Industries
o Farmers/landowners
o Nature conservation
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25. Association of Regional Water Authorities
• Established in 1927
• Umbrella organisation of the
26 Regional Water
Authorities in the
Netherlands.
• Offices in The Hague and
Brussels
• Promotion of regional water
governance.
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26. Flood resilient cities
Some examples of
urban protection in
the Netherlands
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27. Examples 1
Port of Rotterdam storm
surge barrier
Restoration of catchment
storage capacity
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28. Examples 2
Flooding „s-Hertogenbosch 1995
Storage basin &
Nature conservation area
6 million m3 storage
Return period 1/25 year
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29. Examples 3
Flood-proof building
in flood plains Dordrecht
Floating houses
Amsterdam
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30. Conclusions
• Awareness, Alleviation, Avoidance & Assistance are key
factors in an ingrated flood prevention approach.
• Physical planning should be based on the scale of the river
(sub)catchments.
• Flood prevention and flood management depend on leadership
in government and a financially sustainable budget.
• The costs of flood prevention and flood management in the
Netherlands is appr. € 1,5 bln/y or 0,2% of GNP.
• Self governance and self financing of the regional water
authorities should be maintained.
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31. Thank you for your attention
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