Is The Netherlands Sinking?
With just under a third of the country sitting well below sea level, there is a genuine concern in the Netherlands about the threats of flooding and sinking cities.
Recent reports have shown that sea levels are continuing to rise due to rising sea levels, but this isn’t something new to the Dutch. This has been a subject at the forefront of the national consciousness for the better part of a century. As recent studies have shown, not only is the Netherlands sinking, but it’s doing so faster than anyone could have previously anticipated.
The Dutch are very clever in how they responded to this. Many different techniques were use to keep that land dry. As is the Dutch way, many are optimistic about the future. Instead of being clouded with a looming sense of doom and gloom, many see this as an opportunity. They are striving ahead with innovative measures to ensure the future of their country. Even so, there are still some who are saying that it will only be a matter of time before the Netherlands is fully submerged.
A Reclaimed Country: How The Dutch Took Back Land From The Sea
There is an old Dutch saying that goes: “God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands.” Although it’s a strong statement, the national pride rings true. With roughly half of the Netherlands having been reclaimed from the sea, the country that we know today is the direct result of centuries of planning.
A blend of meticulous engineering, careful water management, and a conscious intention to expand and improve the country have all resulted in the Netherlands becoming what it is today.
Over 800 years of slowly building dykes, then pumping water away from the land, has resulted in the cultivation of countless Dutch polders. These low lying areas of land, protected by dykes and surrounded by canals for drainage, are a staple of the Dutch countryside.
By using this technique to reclaim land from the sea gradually, it has allowed the Dutch to free up vital space for the construction of housing, and the cultivation of livestock and crops.
This would all eventually culminate in the Dutch building the “Afsluitdijk” (translated as “Enclosure Dam”). This marvel of engineering spans nineteen miles in length and would take five years to finish, with construction spanning from 1927 to 1932.
The Afsluitdijk would later be listed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world – a list of engineering marvels as compiled by The American Society of Civil Engineers.
However, such ambitious projects have not come without their own unique challenges. Aside from the risk of catastrophic flooding in the western parts of the country, the ambitious project of reclaiming land from the sea has resulted in the land slowly sinking.
Are Dutch Cities Sinking?
It has long been known by Dutch scientists and researchers that rising sea levels are the primary reason for the Netherland’s slow subsidence. However, a recent study from the Delft University of Technology has demonstrated that the country is now sinking faster than previously thought.
Using a mix of GPS, radar data, and gravity measurements, the team was able to produce a subsidence map. The results were startling. The southwestern city of Gouda, for example, is now shown to be sinking at an average of three millimeters per year, with some regions of the city sinking as much as ten millimeters per year.
The results are clear to see in damaged roads and sewage systems, the subsided facades, and the cracked building walls. At the current rate of subsistence, damages are estimated to cost the country a hefty 22 billion euros by 2050.
What’s Causing Dutch Cities To Sink?
However, recent studies have shown that a mix of dry summers, agriculture, and the extraction of natural gas and salt have helped to speed up the process.
Most of the western part of the Netherlands has been claimed from the sea. To achieve this, the Dutch have been pumping water away from this area of land for decades. However, a good portion of the reclaimed land happens to be made up of peat and clay soils.
The primary issue with this is that the peat deposits have been gradually disappearing. Owing to the periodic pumping of water from the land, the peat that becomes exposed to the air begins to oxidize, resulting in the land sinking.
Adding to this, the country’s recent spate of hot, dry summers has only aggravated the issue. This weather has dried out the exposed peat soil.
With the release of this study from the Delft University of Technology, some are predicting the end of the Dutch landscape as we know it today, with its iconic windmills and farmland.
How The Dutch Keep Reclaimed Land
Not surprisingly, with their track record of innovative water management and the construction of the Afsluitdijk, the Dutch have long been considered world leaders in the area of water management. Even with all the challenges that the Dutch have faced over the years, they continue to rally forward with optimism and ingenuity. This latest challenge will prove to be no exception.
As sea levels rise globally, the risk of fiercer storms, the Netherlands has a new strategy that seems almost counterintuitive at first glance. Rather than building higher walls to keep the water out, they plan to let more water in.
Rather than attempting to hold back the forces of mother nature, the Dutch have now committed themselves to improve landscaping and to accommodate the seas and rivers they once fought against. By building lakes, parks, plazas, and other massive reservoirs, they can ensure that the water has somewhere to go in the event that rivers or sea spillover.
This recent project, known as Ruimte voor de Rivier (or “Room for the River” in English), is a government initiative that ran from 2006 to 2015. The aim was to improve environmental design and landscaping in the Netherlands, by giving the rivers more room to flow rather than holding them back altogether.
With a project budget of €2.2 billion, they enacted many changes throughout the Netherlands to achieve this goal. This involved increasing the depth of flood channels and reducing the height of groynes on the coast.
In addition to this, they also worked on “depoldering,” which involved returning polders to the river. The project also aimed to remove obstacles along certain rivers, which included the removal of a hydraulic bridge in the small village of Oosterbeek.
In addition to this, some municipalities throughout the Netherlands are looking at raising the ground by using lava stone, polystyrene, or any other material that might be lighter than sand.
Netherlands Is Still At Risk For Flooding
Although the Netherlands is always on alert in the event of storms and potential flooding, the reality is that you probably won’t notice if you’re visiting.
The risks of flooding only become evident during a torrential downpour, when the canals begin to swell. Even so, in my thirteen years of living in a part of the Netherlands that was well below sea level, I never once encountered flooding.
Unfortunately, there have been instances of catastrophic flooding in the past, as recent as the 1950s. During this particular flood, known as de Watersnoodramp, thousands of people lost their lives.
As it flooded late at night, when there were no radio stations active, those who lost their lives had no indication of what was coming. As a direct result of this disaster, the Netherlands has since implemented a robust alarm system to avoid this ever happening again.
Where I was living, out in the countryside near Delft, I distinctly remember the first time I heard this flood alarm system being tested. Reminded of the bombing sirens that I had learned about from World War 2, I remember being absolutely convinced that we were under attack.
Later I would learn that this was a regular part of Dutch life. In the first week of every month, they would always check the flood alarm system to make sure everything was running smoothly.
Without any warning, the high-pitched, peeling alarm would shatter the peaceful silence of the countryside. Coming from one of a dozen massive white towers that dotted the horizon, the sound would play for a few minutes before dying off again.
In the end, I became so accustomed to it that I eventually found it more annoying than comforting. This was especially true if it happened to sound while I was in the middle of watching a TV show.
Aside from the risk of flooding, the threat of the Netherlands sinking isn’t something you’re likely to notice if you visit. Not unless you happen to be taking a trip to the parts of Groningen or Gouda where the subsidence is at its worst.
In the end, the threat of sinking cities is a problem for the future of the country. While the Netherlands ‘ best and brightest continue to tackle these issue behind the scenes, it is unlikely that any of these looming concerns will impact you during your travels.