Background Information on the netherlands
The Great European Plain is occupied by the Netherlands and is predominantly flat. In most places, the surface is consisting of either of glacier-deposited sand, gravel and clay or of slit laid down by rivers since the last ice age and roughly half of the land lies below sea level. The rest rises slightly above the sea, very rarely to more than 300 feet (90 m). Large parts of the country is consisting of land that has been reclaimed from the sea. Sand dunes fringe the North Sea coast. Behind the dunes lie lowlands and polders (which is drained land lying below sea level). Eastern Holland is a flat to gently rolling region.
Water
There are many rivers, canals, and drainage channels that interconnect and form a crisscross along the land. In some areas, waterways flow in embanked channels above the level of the adjacent land. (Howstuffworks.com, 2012). To protect the land against flooding, there are enormous concrete barriers with movable gates to control sea and river water levels were built in the delta channels as part of the Delta Project. After almost 30 years of construction, the project was completed in 1986.
Water
There are many rivers, canals, and drainage channels that interconnect and form a crisscross along the land. In some areas, waterways flow in embanked channels above the level of the adjacent land. (Howstuffworks.com, 2012). To protect the land against flooding, there are enormous concrete barriers with movable gates to control sea and river water levels were built in the delta channels as part of the Delta Project. After almost 30 years of construction, the project was completed in 1986.
NAtural Causes
- Rising sea level. Similar to Bangladesh, Netherlands is a flat, low lying country. The lowest city in Netherlands is only 7m above sea level. Most areas in Netherlands are below sea level.
- Costal Geography. Netherlands is located right next to the North Sea, hence the climate is a key factor for flooding. For instance, low pressure climate brings high tides, considering Netherlands is flat as a pancake, a flood will easily occur.
- Melting snow from the Swiss Alps. Southern Netherlands is the foot of the mountain regions, therefore this slanted slope allows the melted snow to reach the flat cities of Netherlands, increasing the chances of flooding.
- Costal Geography. Netherlands is located right next to the North Sea, hence the climate is a key factor for flooding. For instance, low pressure climate brings high tides, considering Netherlands is flat as a pancake, a flood will easily occur.
- Melting snow from the Swiss Alps. Southern Netherlands is the foot of the mountain regions, therefore this slanted slope allows the melted snow to reach the flat cities of Netherlands, increasing the chances of flooding.
HUMAN CAUSES
Urbanization of floodplain and Deforestation.
There are various human causes which has contributed to the flooding in Netherlands. One of the main causes is urbanization of floodplain. In the past, excess water would flow out over marshes and floodplains, those that would soak up the water. However, since then part of the land is used as farmlands or buildings, which causes it to lost the majority of its riverside marsh and floodplain to holdback the floodwater. Some of the land has been drained and is covered with concrete and tarmac for buildings and roads. Precipitation no longer infiltrates through the soil in the ground, as the ground has become saturated and impermeable. As a result, increasing surface runoff as rainfall flows off roofs and roads and enters directly into drains, this also raises the river level after heavy rainfall. Moreover, engineering has made the river floodplain upstream narrower, two thousand islands has been removed and erosion has lowered the river bed. The capacity of floodplain storage has reduced by 60%.
Changes in agricultural practices
The transformation of farming practices from pastoral to arable has led to the removal of hedges and forests and replaced them with ploughed fields. This has caused the land to be less absorbed and minimized the magnitude of interception and infiltration, and hence greater amount of precipitation enters directly to the river Rhine. This means the discharge of the river can exceed over the maximum capacity quickly during heavy rains, making it more likely to flood.
Flood protection and dams
Flood protection measures have been built upstream such as the reinforcement and elevation of embankments to protect residential and industrial areas, however, by doing so the steep concrete flood walls by the side of the upstream river banks has speeded up the floodwater flow downstream. Furthermore, dams upstream traps sediments and also further speeds up the flow downstream. The gush of a flood normally spread over five days, however, now it only take place over two days. As the flood is moving further in a shorter period of time, this has lead to substantial rise in river’s level.
River used as a shipping highway
The river is straightened to enable larger ships to use it and to speed up the journey time, by doing so, it has shortened the 50 km off the river’s 1320 km source to the sea, doubling the speed for water to move downstream. Moreover, the river is channelized to adopt the size and shape of transportation vessels, which has also speeded the flow downstream. Now, during times when there is heavy precipitation, water flows down to the flood at the mouth rather than being absorbed into marshes near its source.
There are various human causes which has contributed to the flooding in Netherlands. One of the main causes is urbanization of floodplain. In the past, excess water would flow out over marshes and floodplains, those that would soak up the water. However, since then part of the land is used as farmlands or buildings, which causes it to lost the majority of its riverside marsh and floodplain to holdback the floodwater. Some of the land has been drained and is covered with concrete and tarmac for buildings and roads. Precipitation no longer infiltrates through the soil in the ground, as the ground has become saturated and impermeable. As a result, increasing surface runoff as rainfall flows off roofs and roads and enters directly into drains, this also raises the river level after heavy rainfall. Moreover, engineering has made the river floodplain upstream narrower, two thousand islands has been removed and erosion has lowered the river bed. The capacity of floodplain storage has reduced by 60%.
Changes in agricultural practices
The transformation of farming practices from pastoral to arable has led to the removal of hedges and forests and replaced them with ploughed fields. This has caused the land to be less absorbed and minimized the magnitude of interception and infiltration, and hence greater amount of precipitation enters directly to the river Rhine. This means the discharge of the river can exceed over the maximum capacity quickly during heavy rains, making it more likely to flood.
Flood protection and dams
Flood protection measures have been built upstream such as the reinforcement and elevation of embankments to protect residential and industrial areas, however, by doing so the steep concrete flood walls by the side of the upstream river banks has speeded up the floodwater flow downstream. Furthermore, dams upstream traps sediments and also further speeds up the flow downstream. The gush of a flood normally spread over five days, however, now it only take place over two days. As the flood is moving further in a shorter period of time, this has lead to substantial rise in river’s level.
River used as a shipping highway
The river is straightened to enable larger ships to use it and to speed up the journey time, by doing so, it has shortened the 50 km off the river’s 1320 km source to the sea, doubling the speed for water to move downstream. Moreover, the river is channelized to adopt the size and shape of transportation vessels, which has also speeded the flow downstream. Now, during times when there is heavy precipitation, water flows down to the flood at the mouth rather than being absorbed into marshes near its source.