#Arjo Kleinhuis Work in the floodplains along the river IJssel
Safety for four million people in the Dutch delta
Dutch Water Programme Room for the River Facts and figures The water in the rivers reached extremely high levels in 1993 and 1995. 250,000 people and one million head of livestock had to be evacuated in 1995. Budget € 2.3 billion Planning Start Completion
2007 2013-2019
Current maximum discharge capacity 15,000 m3/sec Discharge capacity on completion 16,000 m3/sec
As a consequence, the Dutch government implemented anti-flooding measures in the region of the rivers. The ‘Room for the River’ approach was born.
Natural floodplain restored Room for the River restores the river’s natural floodplain in places where it is least harmful in order to protect those areas that need to be defended. In a few years, by means of a series of more than 30 measures, we will have lowered and broadened our floodplain and created river diversions and temporary water storage areas. We will restore marshy riverine landscapes to serve once again as natural ‘water storage’ sponges and to safeguard biodiversity and aesthetic and recreational values.
Local and global The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and more than half of it is below sea level. Flood protection is therefore a very high priority for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment within the compass of water management.
Provinces, municipalities, regional water authorities and Rijkswaterstaat are cooperating on the implementation of the Room for the River Programme. Furthermore, within the compass of the Room for the River programme there is close collaboration at international level on flood protection.
Keeping one step ahead of disasters The cadence of Dutch history has been punctuated by sea floods and the responses to these. For the most part the danger stemmed from the sea. In 1993 and 1995, however, flooding hit the Netherlands from behind its defences. The Dutch rivers swelled to unprecedented levels, with nigh on catastrophic results. In 1995 large tracts of farmland were inundated. 250,000 people and one million head of livestock were evacuated.
The Afsluitdijk, the Delta Works, Room for the River – all of these flood defence projects have been reactive in nature, responding to specific threats. In the opinion of the Dutch government this needs to change. The Netherlands would like to be one step ahead of disasters, implementing measures in a timely fashion. This is being effectuated by means of the Delta Programme, which sees the country preparing itself for climate change in the lead up to the year 2100.
www.roomfortheriver.com
ROOM FOR THE RIVER IJSSELDELTA KETELMEER
ROOM FOR THE RIVER | DUTCH WATER PROGRAMME ROOM FOR THE RIVER
DYKE RELOCATION WESTENHOLTE
Kampen
MARKERMEER
Zwolle
Lelystad
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION SCHELLER AND OLDENELER BUITENWAARDEN IJS SE
Amsterdam
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION BOLWERKSPLAS, WORP AND OSSENWAARD
DYKE REINFORCEMENT LEK / BETUWE / TIELERWAARD AND CULEMBORGERWAARD Amersfoort
Den Haag
E
W
AT
ER
Rotterdam
W
EG
NIEUWE MAAS
O NO
DYKE REINFORCEMENT OUDE MAAS / VOORNE PUTTEN
RD
OUDE MAAS I SPU
GV
LIE
T
DYKE REINFORCEMENT OUDE MAAS / HOEKSCHE WAARD
HOLLANDSCH DIEP KRAMMER / VOLKERAK
WATER STORAGE VOLKERAK-ZOOMMEER
KIL
RIN
DYKE REINFORCEMENT NEDERRIJN / GELDERSCHE VALLEI
LEK
Arnhem
Culemborg
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION AVELINGEN FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION MUNNIKENLAND DEPOLDERING LOWERING OF NOORDWAARD GROYNES WAAL MERWEDE
AMER
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION MIDDELWAARD
Zutphen
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION MEINERSWIJK
DYKE RELOCATION HONDSBROEKSCHE PLEIJ
N
ZOOMMEER
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION MILLINGERWAARD
D
L
EN
SC
H BOV
EN-R
IJN
Nijmegen
DYKE RELOCATION DYKE REINFORCEMENT LENT STEURGAT / LOWERING OF GROYNES LAND VAN ALTENA WAAL FORT ST. ANDRIES S A MA DYKE REINFORCEMENT E H GSC ’s-Hertogenbosch NEDERRIJN / BETUWE / TIELERWAARD BER AND CULEMBORGERWAARD RIVER WIDENING OVERDIEPSE POLDER
LOWERING OF QUAY ZUIDERKLIP LOWERING OF QUAY BIESBOSCH DYKE REINFORCEMENT DYKE REINFORCEMENT BERGSCHE MAAS / AMER / DONGE LAND VAN ALTENA
ER
AA
WAAL
LOWERING OF GROYNES MID WAAL
RIVER WIDENING HUISSENSCHE WAARDEN
PA N KA N
Tiel
DYKE RELOCATION CORTENOEVER
DYKE REINFORCEMENT NEDERRIJN / ARNHEMSEBROEK AND VELPSEBROEK
NEDERRIJN
Dordrecht DORDTSCHE
HA
REMOVAL OF OBSTACLES ELST
Velp
DYKE REINFORCEMENT LEK / LOPIKERWAARD AND KRIMPENERWAARD
RGA T
W
DYKE RELOCATION VOORSTERKLEI
Apeldoorn
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION DOORWERTHSCHE WAARDEN
Utrecht
STE U
EU
DYKE REINFORCEMENT LEK / ALBLASSERWAARD AND VIJFHEERENLANDEN
N M IEUW ER W E ED E
NI
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION BOSSENWAARD, PONTWAARD AND HEERENWAARD
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION KEIZERS-, STOBBENAND OLSTERWAARDEN Deventer
FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATION DE TOLLEWAARD
Hilversum
Leiden
L
FLOOD CHANNEL VEESSEN-WAPENVELD Almere
Haarlem
REMOVAL OF OBSTACLES SUIKERDAM / GENDTSE WAARD LOWERING OF GROYNES WAAL
current projects additional reduction achieved in water levels for neighbouring projects means implementation no longer required
Bergen op Zoom Eindhoven
How we are making room for the river
Deepening summer bed The river bed is deepened by excavating the surface layer of the river bed. The deepened river bed provides more room for the river.
Water storage The Volkerak-Zoommeer lake provides for temporary water storage when exceptional conditions result in the combination of a closed storm surge barrier and high river discharges to the sea.
Dyke relocation Relocating a dyke land inwards increases the width of the floodplains and provides more room for the river.
Strengthening dykes Dykes are strengthened in areas in which creating more room for the river is not an option.
High-water channel A high-water channel is a dyked area that branches off from the main river to discharge some of the water via a separate route.
Lowering of floodplains Lowering (excavating) an area of the floodplain increases the room for the river during high water levels.
Lowering groynes Groynes stabilise the location of the river and ensure that the river remains at the correct depth. However, at high water levels groynes can form an obstruction to the flow of water in the river. Lowering groynes increases the flow rate of the water in the river.
Depoldering The dyke on the river side of a polder is relocated land inwards and water can flow into the polder at high water levels.
Removing obstacles Removing or modifying obstacles in the river bed where possible, or modifying them, increases the flow rate of the water in the river.
www.roomfortheriver.com