Heat and Drought Cause Water Shortage in Netherlands, Government Says
Officials said drought and heat have pushed the country from a possible shortage to an actual one, with irrigation limits and slower ship traffic.
- On Thursday, the Dutch government declared the Netherlands has moved from a 'possible' shortage to an 'actual' water shortage, with drought and heat expected to persist in coming weeks.
- Historically low river levels and scarce recent rainfall prompted the shortage as the Reuters Climate Monitor reported Netherlands temperatures of 24.3 degrees Celsius, 4.5 degrees above normal.
- Ships will likely face delays as locks open less frequently to limit salt water inflow, while Irrigation will be limited in various places to manage supplies.
- Drinking water supplies remain unaffected as stocks were increased before summer, though the government said additional measures are necessary to evenly distribute resources and meet rising demand.
- According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, Western Europe average highs are forecast at 28.7 degrees Celsius, or 83.66 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5.4 degrees above normal for July 16.
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The situation does not affect the supply of drinking water, as reserves had already increased before the summer.
Heat and drought cause water shortage in Netherlands, government says ...
Due to persistent drought, there is a water shortage in the Netherlands. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management reported this on Thursday. Since early…
There is a water shortage in the Netherlands. This was reported by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management following a recommendation from the National Water Distribution Coordination Committee to scale up to this level. Authorities and drinking water companies are considering new measures to distribute the water, although it is not yet certain what these entail.
The system for supplying fresh water to the west of the Netherlands will be running at full capacity starting Thursday. The capacity of the so-called Climate-Resilient Water Supply (KWA) is being increased from 11,000 to the maximum of 15,000 liters of water per second. It is the first time since the expansion of the entire system of weirs, waterways, and pumping stations that the system is being fully utilized.
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