It has been hot and dry for the last few weeks in the Netherlands; the water table has dropped significantly and water levels in the rivers have also fallen. Rijkswaterstaat, the government water authority, says there is no cause for panic just yet, but inspections of dykes and levees have been increased.

 

According to Rijkswaterstaat's Harald van Waveren, the dry spell is mainly a problem for peat dykes, which form the majority of levees and dykes along smaller inland waterways. They can become porous and even break if there isn't enough rain.

 

"Most of the large dykes along the coast and the major rivers are clay and long, dry spells aren’t a problem for them. However, the peat dykes and levees can dry out and then they get lighter. Normally, there's lot of water in the peat levees but if they dry out and get very light they can break, that’s what happened near Wilnis in 2003. That’s the main reason that the water authority has increased inspection and monitoring of the peat levees".

 

During the 2003 heat wave, a levy broke near the central Dutch village of Wilnis. The village was under about 1.5 metres of water and about 1,500 people had to be evacuated.

 

There are around 3,500 kilometres of peat dykes and levees in the Netherlands; that's about the distance between Amsterdam and Jerusalem. Experts are monitoring the dykes and levees for any changes, from small cracks to breaks and bulges, to determine if any action is necessary.

 

"At the moment, it's not that bad. Conditions aren't nearly as severe as they were in 2003. That was the first time in the history of the Netherlands that a drought caused a rupture in a levy. That's why we're doing extra inspections now, to make sure that we've got everything under control”.

 

Another threat looming on the horizon is a shortage of funding for the repair and maintenance of the country's dykes and levees. The deficit could hit one billion euros. Dyke warden Jan Geluk says the nation's water boards are concerned. Seven years ago the levy at Wilnis broke. Is it possible that it could happen again?

 

"Yes, that could happen any time. Of course, the water authorities are carrying out extra inspections at the moment and repairing when necessary. Over the last few years, a great deal of maintenance and repair work has been carried out so the risk isn't that high. We have to maintain a certain level of vigilance and that means that the government must allocate money to strengthen the dykes. It's absolutely essential here in the Netherlands".

 

Over the coming weeks, we'll find out if the dykes and levees can withstand the drought. The weather reports are not promising. Meteorologists are predicting temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius over the next few days.