Seminar “ Will it flood like 2011?” A Dutch Example

Bangkok, 13th January 2012Harrie Laboyrie January 2012

Contents

Introduction Drainage and Inundation The Dutch delta Cooperation with other deltas in the world Sustainable development in the delta; a process

approach

Drainage and Inundation : main problems

From technical point of view insufficient operation and maintenance to the river and drainage system, lack of spatial planning, encroachment of the riverbanks, structures crossing rivers and drainage systems and land subsidence are the major causes of the floods while the lack of coordination between the different authorities, the absence of proper organization structure to execute O&M and limited funds for O&M are causes from non technical point of view;

Drainage and Inundation : main problems

• Water management problems in low lying areas are of special importance in urban areas, where the combination of a dense paved surface, a low infiltration rate and limited discharge capacity demands special measures to reduce flooding due to impeded drainage. Urban water management involves all aspects related to water in the city: storm water- and wastewater discharge, safety and risk assessment, water storage, water quality, spatial planning and ecology;

Drainage and Inundation : main problems

• New concepts for the integration of urban drainage infrastructure in the urban environment are frequently employed by our drainage and flood control engineers. Measures are ranging from flood diversion channels to ‘urban wadi-systems’ to promote infiltration and reduce drainage discharge. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) refers to a collection of methods used to reduce runoff from hard surfaces through storage and by enhancing groundwater recharge via infiltration.

Effects

Core Problem

Urban Drainage

Causes

Asset lossLoss of life Disease

Economic disruption

More frequent, more extensive and deeper floods in Bangkok

Natural Man MadeRainfall

Topography

Climate Change

Higher peak flows

Tidal cycle

Sea level rise

Insufficient environmental awareness

Encroachment of river corridors

Indiscriminate Solid waste dumping

Land subsidence (ground water abstraction)

Over-population

Inadequate cooperation institutions

Insufficient capacity (finance, HRM, institutions)

Rapid urbanization

Decreased storage capacity up&down stream

Back log of maintenance

Inadequate operation

Inadequate/insufficient measures

Loss of retention basins, open space and green areas

Reduced river and drainage conveyance capacity

Illegal settlement near rivers & Canals

Loss of investorConfidence

The Netherlands

The Hague

Wageningen

NijmegenRotterdam

Neeltje Jans

The Dutch delta

2/3 of The Netherlands below sea level

Long history in building dikes and polders to protect the people and industry / agriculture from floods coming from sea and rivers

Last large flood: 1 February 1953

Delta Works: Hard coastal defenses and river dike improvements

The Dutch delta

The Delta Works Shortening the total length of the dikes by 700 kilometres

Improved agricultural freshwater supply

Improved water balance and manipulation of the Delta area.

Improved infrastructure and mobility in Zeeland

Support inland waterways shipping.

New developments in the areas of nature and recreation

Integrated design Safety: Protect the land against

the sea Infrastructure: road connection Environmental: Unique ecosystem

with a wide variety of wildlife (original plan was a closed dike)

Economic: Structure decreases the length of dike improvements inland (saving in costs and O&M)

The Dutch delta

Eastern Scheldt Barrier (1)

• Eastern Scheldt Barrier

The Dutch delta

Eastern Scheldt Barrier (2)

The Dutch delta

High intensity waterway traffic (Port of Rotterdam)

Large urban area with high economic value

High discharges from the river Dike improvement in old city

centers of Rotterdam and Dordrecht difficult

Solution: movable barrier downstream of Rotterdam to protect the city

Maeslant Barrier (1)

• Maasvlakte I

The Dutch delta

Maeslant Barrier (2)

The Dutch delta

Watervision (2007)

Deltacommittee (2008)

National Waterplan 2009 - 2015

History & Future

P1 P2 P3 P4

2001 2015 2100

P5

Example: Past Approach

100330 16

Way of working with Grand design

2010 2100

1 2 3 4 5 6

Instead of:

Work with grand design or long term vision, secondly back casting to present and subsequently work with regular plans

2010 21001

2

3

The Dutch delta

“Watervision 2007” Climate change -> adaptation Long term vision up to 2100 Sustainable solutions: People-Planet-Profit In the future:

- Higher sealevel

- More water from the rivers

- In the summer more often droughts

Advice from “Delta Committee” (Veerman)

Results in Dutch Water Plan

The Dutch delta

Long term vision

“A living land builds for it’s future” 2/3 flood-prone, 9 million

inhabitants, 65% GNP, 1800 billion invested value

The Dutch delta

Safety against flooding Increase safety levels for all inhabitants Spatial planning for risk area’s Evacuation plans New concepts of strong or even “unbreakable”

levees Continue “Room for Rivers” Enforce coastal zone using sand (“building with

nature”)

The Dutch delta

Fresh water supplies Netherlands has plenty fresh water, but ….

in the near future more droughts en more saltwater penetration from the sea Fresh water essential for agriculture, industry, drinking water, etcetera Investigate what to do

- Optimize water usage on local level

- IJsselmeer

- Protect groundwater supplies

The Dutch delta

Vision -> Coastal zone

The Dutch delta

Vision -> Rivers

The Dutch delta

Vision -> IJsselmeer

Cooperation with other deltas in the world

Permanent cooperation with deltas in the world Exchanging knowledge and experience Focus on climate change and Millennium Development Goals Technical + governance Government, science, NGO’s & private sector

together!

Delta Dialogue sustainable development

Process model for a sustainable delta development process Three individual but inseparably linked pillars:

- Result;

- Support;

- Innovation.

The Pillars are related to:-

the content of a process;

- the actors who are involved in the process;

- the wider context in which the process

is taking place and has an effect.

All three pillars are equally important. Managing on the basis of only one or two pillars increases the risk of an ineffective process.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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