Room for the River
Rijkswaterstaat is taking measures to increase the capacity of rivers to cope with high water levels at 30 locations in the Netherlands. These measures will reduce the risk of flooding.
What is the problem
The risk of flooding in the Netherlands is steadily growing because the flood plains of rivers are shrinking. Water levels are also rising because there is more frequent and heavier rainfall.
What does Rijkswaterstaat do
Water levels in rivers have to be lowered and to achieve that we are creating more room for rivers at 30 locations in the Netherlands. For example, we are relocating dykes further inland and constructing high-water channels. We are also lowering the floodplains in some locations. These areas will then be inundated during periods of high water levels, thus temporarily giving the river more room and easing the pressure on the dykes.
Room for the River: IJsseldelta
The IJssel is being given more room by deepening the navigation channel and constructing a high-water channel. The high-water channel lies between 2 dykes and will fill during periods of high water levels. This will enable the river to discharge a larger volume of water more quickly.