Netherlands drought strains water management

The Netherlands is facing a historic summer drought that has lowered river levels, restricted water use and forced new questions about how a country built to fight floods can also retain enough fresh water.

The drought follows a prolonged dry spell, exceptional heat and intense evaporation. In the southern and eastern provinces, grass has turned straw-coloured and the Rhine reached its lowest level ever recorded there this summer.

Rijkswaterstaat, the national water management agency, has classified the situation since mid-July as an “actual water shortage.” It has imposed irrigation restrictions and limited how much some locks can open to reduce fresh-water loss and prevent too much salt water entering the river network.

The shortage has affected inland shipping and related maritime transport, as low water levels limit carriers and industries that depend on the goods they move. Researchers also warned that drying peat can shrink underground and crack building foundations.

Micha Werner, a drought resilience professor at IHE Delft, said Dutch systems have long been designed to drain excess water into the sea and protect against flooding. He said more frequent water-shortage years mean the Netherlands must shift toward retaining water within its hydraulic systems.