welcome port cities

• Aardrijkskunde
• Middelbare school
• vmbo, mavo, havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1-6

Welcome Erasmus Port cities 

Introduction

Susan Roeper

Geography teacher at HLZ Amsterdam

and participant Erasmus Port Cities project Parede, Portugal march 2024

At the end of this lesson you will know:

• Why there is always a risk of flooding in the Netherlands
• How the Netherlands protects itself against water

Port cities Amsterdam/Rotterdam

Below sea level

Flood risk in the Netherlands from

- the sea = large part of the country is below sea level

- rivers

The Netherlands is protected by dikes and dunes

The Low Netherlands consists of polders: areas where the water level is controlled using man-made methods.

www.overstroomik.nl

Name measures taken against flooding in The Netherlands

Living near the water

Historically cities were built near waterways: 

• Easy to transport goods and people;
  
• Water for crop farming;
  
• Opportunity to fish;
  
• High risk of flooding.

Living near the water

Solutions against flooding: 

• Building dwelling mounds (terps);
• Constructing dikes.

Regional government was needed to control the water level;

Water authorities were formed to maintain dykes at a local level.

Measures

1. Zuiderzeewerken (1930-60)
2. Delta works (flood of 1953)
   
3. Room for the river 1995
4. Delta programme 2015

1. Zuiderzeewerken

- flooding due to north western storms

- lots of damage

- builing afsluitdijk

- fresh water lake IJsselmeer

- making polders for housing and agriculture

2. Delta works

• Flood of 31 January 1953;
  
• Waternoodramp -> waterdisaster
• 1836 people died;
  
• Lots of damage;
  
• 9 February 1953 a plan was presented to protect the Southwest of the Netherlands;
  
• Core: Connect all islands;
  
• New Waterway & Westerschelde stayed open (trade).
  

The drain of Europe

• Netherlands is located in a delta
• Vulnerable for water

When there falls a lot of rain in Germany we will notice it in the Netherlands

3. Room for the river

Cross-section of a major Dutch river

Room for the river

De-poldering = Giving back land to the river. 

(only when needed)

4. Delta programme 2015

• Adaptation to cimate change;
• Heavier rainfall in winter and dry periods in summer;
• "Building with nature" instead of fighting against water;
• New measures will be taken in the future.

Let's see if you understood all the information

Which percentage of The Netherlands is lying beneath sea level?

1. 15%
2. 19%
3. 26%
4. 30%

The picture shows:

1. a polder
2. the Afsluitdijk
3. the Delta Works
4. the Zuiderzee

After the Watersnoodramp measures were taken. Whats the plan called?

1. Deltawerken
2. Oosterscheldekering
3. Room for the river
4. Nederland safe!

The aim of the project Room for the river is

1. flood prevention
2. creating more nature
3. making rivers more suitable for navigation

Summerdike

Winterdike

Flood plain

What measure of room for the river do you see here?

1. Depoldering
2. Secondary channel
3. Dike improvement
4. Obsacle removing

End of Lesson 

- Why there is always a risk of flooding in the Netherlands

- How the Netherlands protects itself against water

Thank you and have a good (and dry) time in The Netherlands!