Netherlands officially declares water shortage amid persistent drought

The recent three heatwaves over the past month and dry spring has depleted Dutch reservoirs, forcing the government to declare the water rationing for the fourth time since 1976.

Government raises drought response level as water managers begin prioritising water distribution across the Netherlands.

The Netherlands officially declared a water shortage on Thursday after weeks of persistent drought, prompting authorities to raise the national drought response level.

Water rationing and low river levels

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management raised the response to Level 2 following advice from the National Water Distribution Coordination Committee, as the shortage is expected to continue in the coming weeks.

Under the measures, priority will be given to protecting flood defences and drought-sensitive dikes, followed by drinking water supplies and energy production. Regional authorities will reportedly decide whether additional restrictions are needed, while Limburg has already restricted the use of surface water for purposes including farmland irrigation.

Rijkswaterstaat, the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, said there is no risk to public drinking water supplies but urged people to use water responsibly during the dry period. River inflow into the Netherlands has fallen to its lowest level since 1976 at Lobith.

The National Water Distribution Coordination Committee said the current shortage is more severe than usual and warned that the risk of drought has increased over recent decades because of climate change.

The last time the Netherlands raised its drought response to Level 2 was in August 2022. The highest alert level, Level 3, was last

Original Record.

This archived record authored by ‘Nedim Sladic’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:

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