& Safety
Without solid dams, dykes and storm surge barriers, the Netherlands would have long vanished. One quarter of the country is located below sea level. No less than three-quarters is susceptible to flooding, either by the sea or the rivers. In this region, nine million people live and seventy percent of the national income is earned.
With its four thousand kilometres of primary dams, the Netherlands is the best protected delta in the world. Nevertheless, one in three dams does not comply with the safety standards. To make sure all Dutch people will keep their feet dry, the Department of Waterways and Public Works and the district water boards have until 2050 to prepare all dams for the future.
Which parts of the Netherlands does the Afsluitdijk protect?
The Afsluitdijk protects the cities and villages on the shores of the IJsselmeer and, further inland, Kampen and Zwolle. When the Afsluitdijk is breached, cities like Amsterdam and Almere are also jeopardised.
The Afsluitdijk belongs to the primary dams of the Netherlands, a dyke that protects the land against the open water. In prescribing the safety standards for the dams further inland, the authorities took into account the dampening effects of a primary dam. So, the dams around the IJsselmeer are relatively low owing to the proximity of the Afsluitdijk. Via the rivers, cities like Zwolle and Kampen are directly connected to the IJsselmeer, so they are in immediate danger if the Afsluitdijk is breached. Amsterdam and Almere are protected extra by the dams behind the Afsluitdijk, like the Houtribdijk, but this also takes the Afsluitdijk into account as the first line of defence against the water.
When the Afsluitdijk is breached, this will cause a catastrophe in many ways. First of all, in terms of safety, because a large part of the Northern Netherlands may be flooded. But also economically, because it would make Friesland less accessible. Finally, salt water will end up in the IJsselmeer, compromising the drinking water supply.
Zwolle is a miniature version of the Netherlands
In the past decades, the Dutch population has grown substantially: from ten million in 1950 to the current population of 17.5 million. According to the CBS, in 2060 twenty million people will live in the Netherlands for the first time. In the face of a growing demand for room to live and work, the Netherlands has to adapt to the changing climate as well. How can these two challenges be addressed simultaneously?
The Zwolle region is a growth region, both economically and demographically. An increasing number of people from the Randstad want to move to Zwolle; tourism has been expanding for five years and the region is on track to become one of the four economic top regions in the country. The growth is positive, but also entails challenges. After all, apart from being a growth region, Zwolle is also a delta that is vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.
Water from five directions
Zwolle is located in the IJsselmeer Delta. The water flows towards the city from five directions: from the Salland dams, the Vecht, the Zwarte Water and from the IJsselmeer that gives free access to the inner city, unprotected by dykes, and from the sky, when it rains. Zwolle may be protected by the Afsluitdijk, but in a north-westerly gale, the IJsselmeer water is still pushed towards the city, while the water from the opposite direction wants to flow towards the IJsselmeer. In a prolonged storm, the water in the city of Zwolle rises and parts of the city can be flooded.
Smart City
Zwolle sees itself as a testing ground. A miniature Netherlands. A place to experiment with solutions, to be prepared for extreme future weather caused by climate change. New construction and housing projects take into account higher (ground)water levels and downpours. A dam runs straight through houses, a sound wall acts as an emergency dam and an underground bike shed serves as a water storage in case of a downpour. A climate campus brings together education, research, entrepreneurs and authorities to jointly contemplate smart solutions to meet the challenges of the future.
‘Water is no longer a threat, but a quality’
Marcel de Ruiter,
area developer Kraanbolwerk
Everybody should take part, says Marcel de Ruiter, manager Innovation and Sustainability at VanWonen. As an area developer, he is involved in climate-proof housing projects like Kraanbolwerk. But he also feels the inhabitants of the city have a role to play in making their town water-robust. ‘I’ve got a deck in my garden that water can flow through; under the trampoline there’s a wadi for buffering water; my flat roofs are covered with sedum and I have a KNMI weather box on the roof to register the weather.’
It is his dream that all inhabitants of Zwolle stop using gas and switch to an alternative heat source, install solar panels and ‘green’ their gardens. ‘Did you know that Zwolle is the world champion of flipping paving stones?’
‘On summery days, this place looks like Giethoorn’
Opposite Kraanbolwerk is Ton Kolman’s Brasserie De Hofvlietvilla. The once dilapidated villa is now a successful restaurant-cum-boat rental.
Ton: ‘The current location of the first climate-adaptative residential area in Zwolle used to be an old paint factory. The soil was so contaminated that in a wide circle around the factory construction was prohibited. This building is right across from it and used to be the haunted house of Zwolle. It was located on an islet and was completely rundown. In 2014, I got a call from the previous owner: Was I interested in starting a restaurant on this site? Although at the time I had a nice job as an interim and crisis manager in the bank sector, I accepted the proposal. By that time, a bridge connected the island to the city and the city built a car park and a cinema in the area. I know that everything in the hotel and restaurant business revolves around ‘traffic’, which was excellent on this location. I still regularly keep count. On an average Saturday afternoon, some 16,000 people cross the bridge.’
‘On summery days, this place looks like Giethoorn, with all the boats navigating the inner city. What tourists often forget is that the water level in the canal can change very rapidly. We are still an island in the IJsselmeer. It happens at least three times a year that a yacht can pass under a bridge on its way out, but not on its way back, because the water has risen. In that case, they have to wait for half a day. The city has even put up a sign now: ‘Beware that the water level can quickly change.’
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