Even more space for the river but also being careful with water, that’s new

A ‘gift’ is the most frequently heard qualification of wild nature that originated after taking measures to give the rivers, in this case the Waal near Zaltbommel, more space. « I am a Vogelaar and I love it, » says Cassandra van Altena, who on behalf of the Vereniging Bommelerwaard provided tours by, among others, the Munnikenland in Poederoijen, close to Slot Loevestein. The area behind the dike of the Mighty Waal turned from farmland about ten years ago into a swamp – outside the dikes and floodable, populated by konik horses and wild cattle that keep the area more or less bald. And by birds. « A blue breast, » hears from Altena. Moments later: « A grass fox. » « A peregrine falcon. » Last year the quail king was here.

It’s really a kind of small Biesbosch

The Munnikenland has been an attractive walking and cycling area since the performance of the Room for the River program. A large river dike was removed, there was another, wide dike in its place, much further away from the power channel of the Waal. The horses flee to this dike and cattle at high tide.

There are people, such as board member Paul Kuenen of the Poederoijen Village Council, who describe the nature reserve as « a refined motocross site » that may also have been contaminated with contaminated sludge. « I don’t think it’s more beautiful. » But the majority is positive. « There is so much to experience here, » says Ria van Gelderen from Andel, three kilometers away. She regularly comes across deer, and storks. She walks here ‘five times a week’ with her retriever. « It’s really a kind of small Biesbosch. »

A few kilometers upstream, near Gameren, a secondary channel has been laid out in the context of space for the river, mostly with the Waal. Here too you see many hikers in the ooiboses, forests naturally created along a river, and on the sand of the boulder -weighted bank. We meet Bernadette Keijser from Bruchem with two dogs. « I was shocked when years ago suddenly large crane trucks appeared in the floodplains, » she says. « Huge excavators removed trees with coarse violence and all the wild flowers. I didn’t dare to get there anymore. Now I think the area is more beautiful. It is very natural. » She climbs a hill. From the need to make more room for the rivers, the eighty -year -old is very bad. « I lived in Zaltbommel when we had to be evacuated in 1995. It was scary. We lived on the river. The water came higher and higher. At one point you only saw the heads of the lampposts. »

Continued on ‘Success story’

Until 2018, the Room for the River program was carried out in the Netherlands in the Netherlands, for more than 2 billion euros in ten years. The reason was the high waters, with large -scale evacuations in the nineties in the river area. The starting point was that the Dutch rivers had to be equipped for the processing of a quantity of Rhine Water that flows into the country at Lobith from 15,000 to 16,000 cubic meters per second, and 3,800 cubic meters per second Maaswater at Borgharen.

Now there is a sequel. On Thursday, Minister Barry Madlener (Infrastructure and Water Management, PVV) in Zaltbommel, on the Waal, gave the go -ahead for a new version of the program, space for the river 2.0. Madlener wants to ‘build’ on the ‘success story’ of the first program. He reminds of the flooding From four years ago in Belgium, Germany and South Limburg. « For the Netherlands, the consequences were better than expected. That has something to do with space for the river and I find that quite an achievement. »

However, the aim of the new program, which may extend in twenty years, is not only flooding to cope, but also long -term periods of drought. « We sometimes have to be careful with water, that is new, » says Marieke Hofstra, program manager of Ruimte Voor de River 2.0. In dry times, for example, enough water must continue to flow through the IJssel to fill the IJsselmeer, ‘our national rain barrel’. From the IJsselmeer, in dry summers, farmers in the north of the Netherlands are threatening to wither the crops. That requires « choices about the design of the river area, » said Hofstra.

Bottom of the Waal is falling sharply

In addition, another issue is added: the steady fall in the river bottoms. The soil drops because the water has started to flow faster and faster through the rivers, due to the disappearance of meanders (loops) and by the construction of cribs (a short stone dam that is at right angles to the quay). This subsidence, which is even two meters here and there in the Waal, leads to drying out in surrounding farmland and nature reserves. The groundwater drops because it flows to the river faster. This causes nuisance for shipping on the rivers, for example because locks are relatively higher.

Thanks to measures that reduce the river water level, new construction can be developed at that place outside the dykes

There are plans to stop the erosion of the river bottoms by simply pouring sand or sludge. « That is relatively cheap in the short term, » says Marco Taal, who, thirty -five years ago,, as a young engineer, pointed out on wearing river bottoms. « I’m glad something is happening now, » he says smiling. Language is now ‘tractor policy choices’ within the Room for the River 2.0 program. According to him, the disadvantage of sand is that you have to continue to do it ‘for eternity’.

It is much more ‘more durable’ to lower the flow rate of the river by installing more meanders and side channels. « The multi -channel system is better for shipping, groundwater levels and the freshwater distribution, » he says.

Still building in the river again

Even more secondary channels, such as with Gameren, and of course building as little as possible in the floodplains. « It is not wise to build outside the dikes, » says Minister Madlener. His predecessor Mark Harbers (VVD) has even banned building in the floodplains.

« Ironic » is again, says Natuurwacht Cassandra van Altena, that the new program was presented in Zaltbommel – a two -minute walk from the construction of three hundred houses outside the dike, on the site of a former shipyard. It is « an ideal place right next to the historic center, » said the municipality. Van Altena: « Thanks to measures that lower the river water level, new construction, replacement of the old yard buildings, may be developed at that outer dike location. » The ground level is ‘lifted’ up to eight meters above NAP, the municipality says, to keep the situation ‘experienced’ outside the dykes.

« Bizarre, » says hiker Bernadette Keijser about it. « It is a nice part of the river. There has been a lot of protest against putting houses there. It is inappropriate. And that it is still allowed, they are proud of that at the municipality. »

To share

Mail the editors