The Delta Programme, the new-style Delta Plan
The object of the new-style Delta Plan (the Delta Works of the future) is to protect our country against high water and keep our freshwater supply up to standard, now and in the future. Many aspects play a role in this, ranging from the environment and the economy to nature, agriculture and recreation. The Netherlands is a low-lying, prosperous and densely populated delta that is vulnerable to flooding. Should something happen, the suffering and damage – in economic terms as well – would be unthinkable. Our delta is too precious to not take the necessary measures. In the past, we have been caught off guard on several occasions because our safety measures were not up to par. The new-style Delta Plan has to ensure that we will not be caught off guard again. In addition, the freshwater supply is important to our economy and it too must remain secure in the future. The new-style Delta Plan will be implemented under the direction of the Delta Commissioner, a government commissioner whose position is anchored in the Delta Act. The Delta Bill was submitted to the House of Representatives on 1 February 2010. The House of Representatives debated the bill on 20 June 2011 and adopted the bill for the Delta Act on 28 June. On 29 November 2011, the Senate unanimously approved the Delta Act. This meant that the Delta Programme, the Delta Fund and the position of Delta Commissioner have legal status. The expectation is that the Delta Act will take effect as of 1 January 2012. The position of Delta Commissioner was set down earlier in a Ministerial Order: Besluit betreffende de instelling van de deltacommissaris (Order Establishing the Position of Delta Commissioner) dated 1 February 2010; Official Gazette no. 1574. The Council of Ministers appointed Wim Kuijken in November 2009 and, at the request of the House of Representatives, he took office earlier (before the final approval of the Delta Act) in order to start his work as quickly as possible.
Background
Traditionally, the Netherlands is linked to water. We have created a good life between the sea and large rivers. Water brings with it prosperity and vitality but it can also be unpredictable and cause great misery. Since the construction of the Delta Works, the Netherlands has been the world’s best protected delta. This is something we can be proud of. But it is only through continued investment in our delta that we can remain certain that we and our children can keep on living and working in our beautiful country in safety. Over the past century, we have seen sea levels rise, subsidence occur and our climate become warmer. This trend is continuing. When planning for our country we need to take heavier rainfall into account. Increased rainfall also affects river discharges. Yet the summers may become drier, endangering our freshwater supply.
The population has risen sharply over past decades and the economic value of our country has increased, due to the growth in prosperity. Flooding would therefore cause severe damage in both human and economic terms. In 2011, the protection of our dikes and coastal dunes is still based on standards set in the 1960s. At that time, far fewer people were living behind the dikes; we invested much less in those areas and much less was earned there. Ergo, the interest at stake was smaller. Our desire is to avoid situations like those in 1953 (the flood disaster that affected Zeeland and the islands of Zuid-Holland and West-Brabant) and the mid-1990s (high river levels and evacuations). This requires a great deal of work. Our safety must be ensured, for today and the future. It is, moreover, important that we find a solution for possible problems with our freshwater supply in the future. We want to avoid situations like those in 1976 and 2003, when drought caused great damage. So, there is work to be done on the delta and that is the purpose of the new-style Delta Plan.
The new-style Delta Plan has been structured so that we can put our current safety in order and prepare ourselves well and in good time for the future. We need to be prepared for changes in sea level, subsidence and possibly both wetter and drier periods. If these changes occur more quickly than expected, we will have plans at hand and if they take place more slowly, we will not implement our plans any earlier than is necessary.
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Veerman Committee
In 2007, the cabinet set up a committee chaired by former minister Cees Veerman. This Delta Committee made recommendations regarding the way in which, in the century ahead, our country needed to improve its water safety and keep the freshwater supply in order, taking into account climate change and social developments. According to the committee, the issue of water was not acute in the Netherlands but it was urgent.
The major recommendation of the committee was the need for a Delta Act. The Delta Act provides for a Delta Programme that is necessary to guarantee the safety of the Netherlands against high water and ensure a good freshwater supply. The Delta Act constitutes the legal basis for the Delta Fund, which can be used to finance the Delta Works of the future. And the Act provides for the appointment of a Delta Commissioner, tasked with ensuring that a Delta Programme is drawn up and implemented every year and that progress reports are submitted. The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives on 1 February 2010. The House of Representatives debated the bill on 20 June 2011 and unanimously adopted the bill on 28 June. On 29 November 2011, the Senate unanimously approved the Delta Act. This meant that the Delta Programme, the Delta Fund and the position of Delta Commissioner have legal status. The Delta Act has become effective on 1 January 2012.
The first Delta Programme or new-style Delta Plan was submitted to the House of Representatives on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament in September), 2010. It was drawn up with Dutch level-headedness and constitutes a safe and flexible approach. The new-style Delta Plan is based on measurements and scenarios developed by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) in 2006 (www.knmi.klimaat/klimaatscenario’s). Over the past century, we have seen sea levels rise, subsidence occur and our climate become warmer. The KNMI figures show that these trends are continuing. When planning for our country we need to take heavier rainfall into account. Yet the summers can be become drier, endangering our freshwater supply. The new-style Delta Plan contains measures to secure the safety of our delta in the near future, such as the Room for Rivers programme, the Maaswerken (Meuse Works), strengthening dikes and strengthening the weak links along the coast. Choices for the future have also been prepared. Given that we do not know exactly how the changes will develop, flexibility is an important element in the choice of measures. An example of such a flexible measure is sand supplementation along the coast. Sand is sprayed onto the coast based on the measured rise in sea level. If sea levels rise more quickly, more sand will be sprayed. The measures in the new-style Delta Plan contribute to the realisation of the policy set down in the National Water Plan (2009–2015). Protecting our country from water and ensuring a sufficient supply of freshwater are not short-term issues. They are matters for which attention will be necessary for the long term. Work on the delta will be ongoing.
The second Delta Programme (DP2012) was submitted on Prinsjesdag 2011 (the state opening of parliament, 20 September 2011).
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Delta Programme
The Delta Programme is a national programme and involves collaboration between the national government, provincial authorities, municipal authorities and water boards. Civil society organisations also have a say in the programme. The object of the Delta Programme is to protect the Netherlands and its future generations from high water and ensure a sufficient supply of freshwater. The first Delta Programme or new-style Delta Plan, was presented to the House of Representatives on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament in September), 2010. It was drawn up with Dutch level-headedness and constitutes a safe and flexible approach. The new-style Delta Plan is based on measurements and scenarios developed by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) in 2006 (www.knmi.klimaat/klimaatscenario’s). Over the past century, we have seen sea levels rise, subsidence occur and our climate become warmer. The KNMI figures show that these trends are continuing. When planning for our country we need to take heavier rainfall into account. Yet the summers can be become drier, endangering our freshwater supply. The new-style Delta Plan contains measures to secure the safety of our delta in the near future, such as the Room for Rivers programme, the Maaswerken (Meuse Works), strengthening dikes and strengthening the weak links along the coast. Choices for the future are also being prepared.
The second Delta Programme (DP2012) was presented on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament), 20 September 2011. It was submitted to the House of Representatives concurrently with the budget. The annual report is published each year within the framework of the budget. The DP2012 will be final after consideration by the House of Representatives and the Senate and following the votes on motions and amendments.
A key element in the second Delta Programme is the preparation of the five Delta Decisions, which will be submitted to the cabinet before 2015. These decisions pertain to the standards for our dikes and dams, the availability and distribution of freshwater, the water level of the IJsselmeer, ways to keep the Rhine estuary and Drechtsteden area safe without losing its economic value and ways to take account of water in the construction of neighbourhoods and districts.
The Delta Commissioner is responsible for monitoring the progress of the Delta Programme. The Delta Programme is in full swing and proceeding according to plan. The issues have been mapped out with Dutch level-headedness and the first conclusions have been drawn. In the regions (sub-programmes), solutions are now being prepared leading up to the Delta Decisions that will be implemented with effect from 2014. Some important interim conclusions:
- In 2014, a water safety programme will be proposed pertaining to the Delta Works of the future. This year, we will gain insight into the updating of the safety standards for dikes. In addition, measures will be taken ensuing from the third assessment of the dams and dikes, which has recently been completed. Climate change will be taken into account as well. Large-scale coastal expansion is not needed in terms of safety. Annual sand supplementation will keep our coast up to par.
- Droughts and salinisation pose a concrete risk to our economy. We must work towards a socially sustainable and economically efficient supply of fresh water. The IJsselmeer remains crucial to the freshwater supply of the Netherlands but it is highly improbable that we will be able to raise the water level by 1.5 metres. We must aim for greater flexibility in our water system by collaborating with the parties involved.
- In view of the financial resources available, just realising the concrete issues that have now been identified in the Delta Programme might take quite a long time.
Given that we do not know exactly how the changes will develop, flexibility is an important element in the choice of measures. An example of such a flexible measure is sand supplementation along the coast. Sand is sprayed onto the coast based on the measured rise in sea level. If sea levels rise more quickly, more sand will be sprayed.
The measures in the new-style Delta Plan contribute to the realisation of the policy set down in the National Water Plan (2009–2015). Protecting our country from water and ensuring a sufficient supply of freshwater are not short-term issues. They are matters for which attention will be necessary for the long term. Work on the delta will be ongoing.
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Delta Fund
To finance all the measures and provisions required to ensure water safety and the freshwater supply, a Delta Fund will be established. This fund is an essential element of the new-style Delta Plan. The fund has a budget for the costs incurred by the government in building, improving, managing, maintaining and operating water management works with a view to water safety, the freshwater supply and the related water-quality assurance. The costs of the related basic information provision and research also fall under the fund. Every year, a budget from the general resources goes to the Delta Fund. The money can be used to implement the Delta Programme. From 2020, the Delta Fund will be funded by at least 1 billion euros a year.
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Delta Commissioner
The Delta Commissioner directs the Delta Programme. Every year, he makes a proposal for the Delta Programme and ensures that progress is made. The Delta Programme will be presented every year on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament. The Delta Commissioner serves as a liaison between the ministries, the state and the regions, authorities and civil society organisations. He monitors the cohesion between the various components of the Delta Programme. He ensures that decisions are made at the right time so that in the long term, our country will remain protected from high water and will have sufficient freshwater in dry spells. The Delta Commissioner acts as a government commissioner, under the direct responsibility of the co-ordinating cabinet minister, the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment. The Delta Commissioner provides advice to all cabinet members involved and may participate in the advisory council of the Council of Ministers.
Mr Wim Kuijken, the current Delta Commissioner, has been appointed for a term of seven years. At the request of the House of Representatives, in order to start his work as quickly as possible, Wim Kuijken took office before the Senate approved the Delta Act (on 29 November 2010; the House of Representatives had unanimously adopted the bill on 28 June 2011). The first Delta Programme was submitted to the House of Representatives on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament in September), 2010. The Delta Programme, which has ultimately been approved by the House of Representatives, is the package of measures on which the Delta Commissioner focuses his efforts. Thus, the House of Representatives determines the scope of the activities of the Delta Commissioner.
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Sub-programmes
The implementation of the Delta Programme is already taking place in various ongoing implementation programmes: by implementing dike strengthening and coastal defence strengthening projects and making room for rivers, while at the same time examining what is needed in the long term in the nine sub-programmes.
The sub-programmes that apply to the whole of the Netherlands are:
The regional sub-programmes are:
Administrative consultations regarding the three national sub-programmes take place within the Administrative Umbrella Consultations. The six regional sub-programmes are discussed in regional steering groups and administrative consultation bodies.
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International perspective
Water does not stop at the borders and consequently, water policy is determined by European regulations in addition to national legislation. The implementation of the Delta Programme involves close collaboration with our neighbouring countries, through regular international consultations and the various river committees for the Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt and Ems. For each basin, European guidelines such as the Directive on Flood Risk Management are geared to one another through these committees. The committees also constitute an efficient consultation platform for questions and harmonisation regarding the future availability of water during dry spells. The Delta Commissioner stays in touch with these consultative bodies through the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment.
The Netherlands is a world leader when it comes to delta technology. The Delta Programme offers us the opportunity to confirm and expand our leading position in the field of water management. Water is one of the six innovative key domains in the Netherlands. Innovation not only serves the Delta Programme but also bolsters our economy and boosts exports. The advisory report on the Water Top Sector once again turned the spotlight on the opportunities we have.
Our pro-active approach and institutional innovation attract a great deal of interest from Europe and the rest of the world. The Delta Commissioner has noticed this too in his working visits abroad and discussions with foreign interested parties. This has generated a new export product for our country, which is already renowned for its excellent knowledge and innovations in the field of water and delta technology: the Delta Programme. This position also creates obligations to share knowledge and expertise, for example through the Water Mondiaal programme, the umbrella project for the Dutch world-wide water efforts, which is implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. Under this programme, a long-term collaboration has been set up with five delta areas: Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Mozambique and Egypt.
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Delta decisions
The Delta Programme opts for a coherent approach to finding solutions. There is no other alternative: our water system is an inter-related whole and the issues and measures involved in water safety and the freshwater supply are strongly connected via flood barriers and water-level management. For example, increasing the storage capacity of lakes in order to keep the freshwater supply up to standard could lead to higher water levels in the IJsselmeer. To guarantee safety, the flood barriers should consequently be modified. There is also a strong relationship with the way in which we build. Spatial planning can contribute to limiting the consequences of flooding and thus to safety. In short, it is essential to use an integrated approach when tackling the issues of safety, the water supply and the role that spatial planning can play in resolving these issues. The Delta Programme is doing this via five key Delta Decisions that have a great impact on the future of our country. These Delta Decisions will be presented to parliament in 2014.
• Water safety: updating safety standards and developing regionally-oriented safety strategies;
• Freshwater strategy: elaborating a strategy for the sustainable supply of freshwater;
• Water level management in the IJsselmeer region: a decision regarding the long-term water level management of the IJsselmeer, focused on water safety and freshwater supply;
• Rhine-Meuse delta: a strategy for the protection of the Rhine-Meuse delta and solutions for the freshwater supply;
• Spatial adaptation: a national policy framework for the (re) development of built-up areas and recommendations regarding flooding and heat stress.
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