Dutch government warned against rising sea levels

THE HAGUE (AFP) – Low-lying Netherlands must spend more than 100 billion euros on dike upgrades and coastal expansion to avoid the ravages of rising sea levels due to global warming, experts warned Wednesday.

The country, nearly two-thirds of which lies below sea level, must spend up to 1.5 billion euros (2.1 billion dollars) per year over the next century on additional safety measures, said a report compiled by a government appointed commission.


“The security challenge is urgent: the climate is changing, the sea level rising and river flows increasing while a quarter of dikes and dams do not meet the current safety norms,” states the report presented to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende in The Hague.

…”We will not wait for a disaster; we want to be prepared so that we are not taken by surprise,” said commission chairman Cees Veerman.

And the country may have to look to Europe for help.

“If the problem gets worse, we will have to talk with our European partners about how we can share the costs within Europe,” Veerman said, adding that Dutch rivers were the “drain” of the continent.

Predicting a sea level rise of between 0.65 and 1.3 metres (2.15 and 4.3 feet) by 2100, and up to four metres by 2200, the commission said the chances of flooding multiplied 100-fold with every 1.3 metre rise in the sea level.

And it warned of Dutch fresh water resources dwindling as salty sea water is forced further and further inland.

“The rising sea level … longer dry periods and encroaching salt water via rivers and ground water puts the country’s fresh water under threat,” says the report.

“This in turn threatens the provision of drinking water, agriculture, shipping and water-related economic sectors.”

AFP