The Netherlands is facing a water shortage, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management reported on Thursday.
The National Water Distribution Coordination Committee had previously recommended escalating to this level. Government agencies and drinking water companies are now considering new measures to distribute water, though it is not yet clear what those measures will entail.
As examples of measures, the Ministry cites the use of weirs in rivers and the preparation of additional pumps. The weir on the Lek River near Hagestein, south of Utrecht, may be opened slightly to allow extra fresh water to flow westward and push back the saltwater.
River water levels have deteriorated further. "In certain regions, the ditches are dry," said a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat. "That situation has not improved in recent weeks and isn't likely to get much better in the coming weeks either."
The ministry emphasised that there remains enough drinking water available. The advice remains to use drinking water "conscientiously".
In Flanders, the Drought Commission raised the drought management level to code orange – the second level – on Thursday.
This means that Flanders is entering a phase of actual water scarcity and that measures are no longer purely local or preventive. They are now being coordinated and aligned at the Flemish level by the Drought Commission.
