Water safety

In the previous lesson you ended with an overview of the three causes of flooding. These are: Flooding caused by extreme downpours. Flooding from the major rivers. Protection against flooding from the sea. We go a little deeper into each cause.

We are all familiar with the images by now. Flooded streets or even houses, tunnels that are flooded and children who see the fun in it and swim in the street. Extreme rain showers that drop so much water in a short time were unknown in the Netherlands a few decades ago. Back then there was often drizzling rain for a few days in a row: too little to get wet but too much to be able to cycle without a raincoat. We are currently noticing the consequences of climate change in the changing precipitation. In net terms, there is still as much rain in a year as before, but it now falls very locally in downpours. During such a downpour, the sewage system in the urban area cannot store the water so quickly. And it doesn’t drain fast enough into ponds and puddles. Then the water remains in the street or flows into the houses. Various authorities are working together in the Delta Program on Spatial Adaptation to limit the consequences of flooding caused by rain as much as possible. For example, a climate effect atlas has been developed. All municipalities and water boards are conducting a stress test in their area, for both flooding and heat. With this information, they have a good idea of ​​which areas in their region could be affected by extreme rainfall, and which regions and residents could be affected by prolonged drought and heat. With this knowledge, the right measures can be taken.

In 1993 and 1995 the water level in the Meuse was extremely high. In a short time so much water was brought in from Belgium that it reached the top of the dikes. Because there were doubts about the stability of the dikes, about 250,000 people were evacuated in one week in January 1995, along with the entire herds of farmers in the area. This near-disaster in 1995 led Rijkswaterstaat, the water boards, municipalities and provinces to start thinking about solutions to prevent similar situations in the future. The Room for the River project is the first large-scale flood risk management project, in which measures have been taken at 39 locations along the major rivers to give the river more room.

The Dutch Wavemakers project aims to bring athletes and companies into contact with each other. Athletes can help to successfully convey a company’s message. Because apart from a familiar face, an athlete often has a special story to tell. In addition, the athlete usually has a large network at home and abroad. This can be useful for a company. Of course, the athlete also benefits from the cooperation. Collaborating with companies gives you access to new networks. This can make the transition to a social career easier after your sports career. The same applies to students. The project brings you into contact with companies, giving you access to new networks that increase the chance of a challenging job related to your studies. The Dutch Wavemakers project has a partnership with, among others, the Ministries of Infrastructure & Water Management and Foreign Affairs, Hoge School Zeeland, Top Sector Water, Our Water, Rijkswaterstaat and the Union of Water Boards (UvW). The Dutch Wavemakers network consists of knowledge centers including Center of Expertices, youth networks around water, governments, the Water Sports Association and a water communication platform. As a Dutch Wavemaker you become part of this, and on request you help our partners to spread their message. You help companies, government organizations and youth networks by attending projects and events. Depending on the wishes of the client, you give a guest lecture about water or you inspire a brainstorming session. You help schools by giving guest lectures. The Water Sports Association can help you, for example, by being present at their activities on the water with the mobile water lab.

Flooding or a shortage of water is a worldwide problem. If you search on Google, a long list of links will appear. You then discover, for example, that in August 2014, due to persistent drought, there was a famine in Central America. In the months of September and October of the same year, there were three places on earth where people had to contend with heavy flooding. . . Speaking of extreme weather…. Knowledge centers all over the world work on water safety and water supply. The Netherlands plays an important role in knowledge development and regularly uses this knowledge abroad. Henk Ovink is water envoy in the Netherlands. It has a very special function; he travels all over the world to draw attention to the problems caused by climate change. He talks to governments, companies and knowledge centers about possible solutions. That cooperation is necessary is evident from this video about Hurricane Harvey. This hurricane hit Texas in 2017. The flooding caused by Harvey created a dangerous situation at a chemical plant. The film shows how the flood led to the explosion of a chemical warehouse. After this incident, a committee of inquiry made recommendations for new rules for the storage and transport of hazardous substances. These new rules now also take into account the risk of flooding. In lesson 6 you will learn more about the organizations involved in water management, and their role and responsibilities.