'Working on the Delta. Measures for the present, preparations for tomorrow'
Second Delta Programme presented to House of Representatives
News item | 20-09-2011
State Secretary Joop Atsma of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment presented the Second Delta Programme, “Working on the Delta. Measures for the present, preparations for tomorrow” to the House of Representatives today.
The Second Delta Programme shows that the freshwater supply in the IJsselmeer is quite sufficient for the time being and that a new level decree is not necessary in the near future. Neither do we need large-scale coastal expansion to safeguard our security for the next fifty years. Annual sand supplementation tailored to the current sea level allows us to keep our coast up to par. The dry spells in 2003 and 2011 illustrate that our current freshwater system is approaching its limits. One of the priorities of the national government will be to formulate goals, within the framework of the Delta Programme, for a socially sustainable and economically efficient future freshwater supply.
The Second Delta Programme has been presented to the House of Representatives concurrently with the budget documents of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. The report, DP2012, has been drawn up by Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken, under the authority of the cabinet. Within the framework of this Delta Programme, issues relating to water safety and freshwater supply have been studied and analysed. In addition, the Delta Commissioner has provided his first recommendations regarding guarantees for the long-term funding of the Delta Programme.
IJsselmeer water level
A new short-term level decree, as announced in the National Water Plan, is not necessary for the time being. The freshwater supply in the IJsselmeer is currently sufficient to meet the demand for freshwater, even in an extremely dry year. For the near future, the freshwater supply can be expanded by making the water system more flexible, without precluding future options. It is imperative to first lay down the long-term goals with regard to the freshwater supply and identify the safety issues involved. Subsequently, we can explore ways to achieve these goals. In addition to the 1.5 metre rise in water level for the IJsselmeer, other solution variants will expressly be considered to this end, such as options to influence water consumption.
Safety standards
By the end of 2011, insight will have been gained into updating the water safety standards on the basis of the announced analyses of casualty risks and social/economic damage. In the decades ahead, updating the water safety standards may lead to a protection level in some locations that is geared to the growth in the number of inhabitants and the increase in economic value behind the dikes. The outcomes of the third assessment of dikes and dams will also be taken into consideration in the safety strategies to be drawn up for the various areas, as well as the effects of climate change and subsidence to be expected. Our primary concern is water safety, but contributions from the fields of spatial planning and disaster management will be factored in wherever possible.
Freshwater
The first broad-based national and regional analysis of the bottlenecks in our freshwater supply shows that our current water system, water management and water policy are approaching their limits. In order to minimise the damage, our short-term focus is on increased flexibility in the system (for example, temporarily raising the water level or alternative water supply routes). Our current policy focuses on incidental dry spells. What is currently incidental may occur much more frequently in the future. In the long run we need a fundamentally different approach. To that end, we need to formulate goals that are aimed at a socially sustainable and economically efficient freshwater supply.
Coastal expansion
Large-scale coastal expansion is not needed in terms of safety, at least not for the next fifty years. This is one of the conclusions contained in the National Coast Framework, which has recently been published. Studies conducted within the Coast sub-programme have contextualised large-scale coastal expansion. Annual sand supplementation tailored to the current sea level allows us to keep our coast up to par.
Delta Fund
The Delta Fund was set up to provide structural resources to protect current and future generations in our country from water and to ensure an adequate supply of freshwater. Sufficient funds have been budgeted to this end for the current cabinet term. In his recommendations to the State Secretary regarding the guarantees for the funding of the Delta Programme, the Delta Commissioner foresees that it will be a challenge to implement the current and future issues relating to water safety and freshwater supply before the year 2050. Up to 2020, all the resources have already been allocated. For the period from 2021 to 2028, a sum of 9.7 billion euros has been budgeted for the Delta Fund. A large proportion of this sum has already been earmarked for projects such as the Flood Protection Programme, the reinforcement of the Closure Dike and the management and maintenance of, for example, our dikes and dams.
Delta Decisions
The aim of the Delta Programme – a new Delta Plan – is to protect our country against flooding, now and in the future, but also to keep our freshwater supply up to par. It is a national programme. The cabinet appointed the Delta Commissioner as a linking factor and to make headway. Each year, he submits a proposal for the Delta Programme. The Delta Commissioner prepares five Delta Decisions, which will be presented to the cabinet in 2014. These decisions pertain to the standards for our main dikes and dams, regional safety strategies, freshwater strategies, the water level of the IJsselmeer, ways to keep the Rhine estuary area safe and ensure a proper freshwater supply without losing its economic value and ways to take account of water in the development of neighbourhoods and districts. The Delta Decision regarding standards and safety strategies constitutes the basis for the water safety programme that will be launched in 2014, within the framework of the Delta Programme.
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