Dutch water managers call for national program amid drought risks

Twelve dike reeves and water managers are calling on the Dutch government to establish a national program for water availability. They are requesting increased national oversight, additional investments, and an acceleration of the Delta Program Freshwater to combat increasing water scarcity.

The plea follows an extremely dry summer in 2026, which Allianz estimated caused 9.2 billion euros in economic damage in the Netherlands. Water managers noted that the summer highlighted the vulnerability of the national freshwater supply, as rivers saw decreased inflow, nature reserves dried up, and agricultural crops faced significant pressure.

To mitigate these risks, officials propose increasing the storage capacity of the main water system and implementing spatial measures to improve soil water retention. They also suggest that the national government take more control over groundwater distribution, proposing a regulation similar to the existing priority system for surface water.