Land reclamation in the Netherlands has a long history. As early as in the 14th century, the first reclaimed land had been settled.[1] Much of the modern land reclamation has been done as a part of the Zuiderzee Works since 1919.[2]
According to a 2007 study by Calvin College Michigan (USA), about 65% of the country would be under water at high tide, if it were not for the existence and the country's use of dikes, dunes and pumps.[3] Land reclamation in the 20th century added an additional 1,650 square kilometres (640 sq mi) to the country's land area.[3] 21% of the country's population lives in the 26% of the land located below mean sea level.[4]
History and origins of land reclamation in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has a coastline that is constantly changing with erosion caused by wind and water. The Dutch people inhabiting the region had at first built primitive dikes to protect their settlements from the sea.[1] In the northern parts of the Netherlands sea levels fell exposing new land at a rate of 5–10 meters per year between 500 BC and 500 AD. This natural process was exploited to claim new agricultural lands. Discontinuous dikes were built to protect the new farms.[5]
Smaller strips of land were reclaimed by filling with sand or other types of land materials. This was usually done near urban and harbour areas since the 14th century. For instance, Amsterdam and Rotterdam were expanding in this manner.[5]
The development of using windmills for pumping water in the 15th century allowed the draining of significant bodies of water. This resulted in the creation of polders.[1] The first steam powered water mill was put to use in 1787.[5]
The Netherlands is frequently associated with polders, as its engineers became noted for developing techniques to drain wetlands and make them usable for agriculture and other development. This is illustrated by the saying: "God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands"[6]
The Dutch have a long history of reclamation of marshes and fenland, resulting in some 3,000 polders[7] nationwide. About half the total surface area of polders in north-west Europe is in the Netherlands. The first embankments in Europe were constructed in Roman times. The first polders were constructed in the 11th century.
As a result of flooding disasters, water boards called waterschap (when situated more inland) or hoogheemraadschap (near the sea, mainly used in the Holland region)[8] were set up to maintain the integrity of the water defences around polders, maintain the waterways inside a polder, and control the various water levels inside and outside the polder. Water boards hold separate elections, levy taxes, and function independently from other government bodies. Their function is basically unchanged even today. As such they are the oldest democratic institution in the country. The necessary cooperation among all ranks to maintain polder integrity gave its name to the Dutch version of third way politics—the Polder Model.
The 1953 flood disaster prompted a new approach to the design of dikes and other water-retaining structures, based on an acceptable probability of overflowing. Risk is defined as the product of probability and consequences. The potential damage in lives, property and rebuilding costs is compared to the potential cost of water defences. From these calculations follows an acceptable flood risk from the sea at one in 4,000–10,000 years, while it is one in 100–2,500 years for a river flood. The particular established policy guides the Dutch government to improve flood defences as new data on threat levels becomes available.
List of polders
Some famous Dutch polders and the year they were laid dry are:
The Markerwaard is the name of a proposed polder in the IJsselmeer that was never built. The construction of Markerwaard would have resulted in the near-total reclamation of the Markermeer. Markerwaard was expected to be finished in 1978.[9]
In 1941 work for this project started; about 2 km of a dike north of Marken was built. It would have had an area of nearly 600 km2. But the German occupation stopped the project. Later, it was decided that the Flevopolder should have priority. In 1957, the island of Marken was connected to the mainland of the province North-Holland. In 1976 the dam Houtribdijk connecting Enkhuizen and Lelystad was completed, a necessary step in the construction of Markerwaard, the dikes for the bordering lakes were still to be completed. However the entire project became mired in political and environmental controversy. In the late 1970s, the project was revised down leaving wide bordering lakes between the polder and North Holland. Marken would remain a peninsula, unlike on the original project. At this stage, the Markerwaard would have had an area of 410 km2.
Finally, in 2003, it was decided not to build this polder.[10]
1965 plan for a polder
1981 plan for a polder
The Marker-Wadden project
Different proposals for land reclamation at Markermeer
Opposing views
In the 1960s, the Vereniging tot Behoud van de Waddenzee organization successfully campaigned against plans to reclaim part of the Wadden Sea.[11]
In 1974, the Association for the Preservation of the IJssel Lake (also known as the Vereniging tot Behoud van het IJsselmeer), one of the most vocal groups against land reclamation, published Plan Waterlely, which provided opposing viewpoints and solutions to land reclamation.[11] Among its many arguments, it said that land reclamation was no longer needed as a Dutch tradition since it was no longer needed for flood prevention, as previous reclamation projects were used for.[11] The Plan also argued that urbanization would lead to more land reclamation, which would create a never ending cycle of reclamation, and that creating newly reclaimed land would only delay the fixing of the core issues of urbanization.[11] Also, it argued that issues that were generated on "old land" should remain there, and not be expanded into newly reclaimed land.[11] Though dismissed by the Dutch government, the press generally was well receptive to the Plan.[11]
In 2012, plans emerged to create the Marker Wadden,[12] a group of islands designed to establish nature reserves in the north of the Markermeer. In contrast to the Markerwaard, no human occupation is planned. The creation process began in early 2016.[13]
^ abcHow it Works: Science and Technology. Marshall Cavendish. 2003. p. 1208. ISBN978-0-7614-7323-7.
^Carol Hand (2014). Amazing Feats of Environmental Engineering. ABDO. pp. 71–72. ISBN978-1-62968-529-8.
^ abRobert J Hoeksema (2007). "Three stages in the history of land reclamation in the Netherlands". Irrigation and Drainage. Wiley InterScience. 56 (56): 113–126. doi:10.1002/ird.340. S2CID 128768356.
^"Land Reclamation in the Netherlands 1300 Vs 2000".
^ abcEduardo F. J. De Mulder; Ben C. De Pater; Joos C. Droogleever Fortuijn (28 July 2018). The Netherlands and the Dutch: A Physical and Human Geography. Springer International Publishing. pp. 20–23. ISBN978-3-319-75073-6.
^Forrest Clingerman, Brian Treanor, Martin Drenthen, David Utsler, Interpreting Nature: The Emerging Field of Environmental Hermeneutics, Fordham University Press, 1 September 2013.
^"Kijk naar de geschiedenis". Rijkswaterstaat. Retrieved 21 January 2008.[permanent dead link]
^Ley, Willy (October 1961). "The Home-Made Land". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 92–106.
^In de Nota RuimteRuimte voor ontwikkeling, Deel 4 Definitieve versie, Hoofdstuk 4 Gebieden en thema's, Paragraaf 6 IJsselmeergebied, Sub-paragraaf 4 Specifieke beleidskeuzen, Kop 3 Buitendijkse ontwikkelingen staat op pag. 156: "De ruimtelijke reservering voor een Markerwaard vervalt." PDF 2014-01-14 at the Wayback Machine
^ abcdefTeule, S. G. J. (2020). "The Struggle for the Markerwaard". Utrecht University Repository. Retrieved 16 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Intentieverklaring Marker Wadden, Rijkswaterstaat, Dutch government bulletin, April 2013
^Boskalis wins Marker Wadden Island contract, Dredging News Online, 15 September 2015
External links
Media related to Land reclamation in the Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons
May 10, 2023
land, reclamation, netherlands, long, history, early, 14th, century, first, reclaimed, land, been, settled, much, modern, land, reclamation, been, done, part, zuiderzee, works, since, 1919, william, holland, grants, charter, water, board, rhineland, 13th, cent. Land reclamation in the Netherlands has a long history As early as in the 14th century the first reclaimed land had been settled 1 Much of the modern land reclamation has been done as a part of the Zuiderzee Works since 1919 2 William II of Holland grants the charter to the Water Board of Rhineland in the 13th century According to a 2007 study by Calvin College Michigan USA about 65 of the country would be under water at high tide if it were not for the existence and the country s use of dikes dunes and pumps 3 Land reclamation in the 20th century added an additional 1 650 square kilometres 640 sq mi to the country s land area 3 21 of the country s population lives in the 26 of the land located below mean sea level 4 Contents 1 History and origins of land reclamation in the Netherlands 2 Polders 2 1 List of polders 3 Proposed developments 4 Opposing views 5 Recent history 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory and origins of land reclamation in the Netherlands EditThe Netherlands has a coastline that is constantly changing with erosion caused by wind and water The Dutch people inhabiting the region had at first built primitive dikes to protect their settlements from the sea 1 In the northern parts of the Netherlands sea levels fell exposing new land at a rate of 5 10 meters per year between 500 BC and 500 AD This natural process was exploited to claim new agricultural lands Discontinuous dikes were built to protect the new farms 5 Smaller strips of land were reclaimed by filling with sand or other types of land materials This was usually done near urban and harbour areas since the 14th century For instance Amsterdam and Rotterdam were expanding in this manner 5 The development of using windmills for pumping water in the 15th century allowed the draining of significant bodies of water This resulted in the creation of polders 1 The first steam powered water mill was put to use in 1787 5 Polders EditFurther information Polder A satellite image of Flevopolder in Flevoland The Netherlands is frequently associated with polders as its engineers became noted for developing techniques to drain wetlands and make them usable for agriculture and other development This is illustrated by the saying God created the world but the Dutch created the Netherlands 6 The Dutch have a long history of reclamation of marshes and fenland resulting in some 3 000 polders 7 nationwide About half the total surface area of polders in north west Europe is in the Netherlands The first embankments in Europe were constructed in Roman times The first polders were constructed in the 11th century As a result of flooding disasters water boards called waterschap when situated more inland or hoogheemraadschap near the sea mainly used in the Holland region 8 were set up to maintain the integrity of the water defences around polders maintain the waterways inside a polder and control the various water levels inside and outside the polder Water boards hold separate elections levy taxes and function independently from other government bodies Their function is basically unchanged even today As such they are the oldest democratic institution in the country The necessary cooperation among all ranks to maintain polder integrity gave its name to the Dutch version of third way politics the Polder Model The 1953 flood disaster prompted a new approach to the design of dikes and other water retaining structures based on an acceptable probability of overflowing Risk is defined as the product of probability and consequences The potential damage in lives property and rebuilding costs is compared to the potential cost of water defences From these calculations follows an acceptable flood risk from the sea at one in 4 000 10 000 years while it is one in 100 2 500 years for a river flood The particular established policy guides the Dutch government to improve flood defences as new data on threat levels becomes available List of polders Edit Some famous Dutch polders and the year they were laid dry are Beemster 1609 1612 Schermer 1633 1635 Haarlemmermeerpolder 1852 As part of the Zuiderzee Works Wieringermeerpolder 1930 Noordoostpolder 1942 Flevopolder 1956 1966 Proposed developments EditFurther information Markerwaard and Zuiderzee Works The Markerwaard is the name of a proposed polder in the IJsselmeer that was never built The construction of Markerwaard would have resulted in the near total reclamation of the Markermeer Markerwaard was expected to be finished in 1978 9 In 1941 work for this project started about 2 km of a dike north of Marken was built It would have had an area of nearly 600 km2 But the German occupation stopped the project Later it was decided that the Flevopolder should have priority In 1957 the island of Marken was connected to the mainland of the province North Holland In 1976 the dam Houtribdijk connecting Enkhuizen and Lelystad was completed a necessary step in the construction of Markerwaard the dikes for the bordering lakes were still to be completed However the entire project became mired in political and environmental controversy In the late 1970s the project was revised down leaving wide bordering lakes between the polder and North Holland Marken would remain a peninsula unlike on the original project At this stage the Markerwaard would have had an area of 410 km2 Finally in 2003 it was decided not to build this polder 10 1965 plan for a polder 1981 plan for a polder The Marker Wadden projectDifferent proposals for land reclamation at MarkermeerOpposing views EditIn the 1960s the Vereniging tot Behoud van de Waddenzee organization successfully campaigned against plans to reclaim part of the Wadden Sea 11 In 1974 the Association for the Preservation of the IJssel Lake also known as the Vereniging tot Behoud van het IJsselmeer one of the most vocal groups against land reclamation published Plan Waterlely which provided opposing viewpoints and solutions to land reclamation 11 Among its many arguments it said that land reclamation was no longer needed as a Dutch tradition since it was no longer needed for flood prevention as previous reclamation projects were used for 11 The Plan also argued that urbanization would lead to more land reclamation which would create a never ending cycle of reclamation and that creating newly reclaimed land would only delay the fixing of the core issues of urbanization 11 Also it argued that issues that were generated on old land should remain there and not be expanded into newly reclaimed land 11 Though dismissed by the Dutch government the press generally was well receptive to the Plan 11 Recent history EditFurther information Marker Wadden and Zuiderzee Works A modern pumping station in Zoetermeer In 2012 plans emerged to create the Marker Wadden 12 a group of islands designed to establish nature reserves in the north of the Markermeer In contrast to the Markerwaard no human occupation is planned The creation process began in early 2016 13 See also EditDelta Works Dijkgraaf official Flood control in the Netherlands Lauwersmeer Water board Netherlands Windmills at KinderdijkReferences Edit a b c How it Works Science and Technology Marshall Cavendish 2003 p 1208 ISBN 978 0 7614 7323 7 Carol Hand 2014 Amazing Feats of Environmental Engineering ABDO pp 71 72 ISBN 978 1 62968 529 8 a b Robert J Hoeksema 2007 Three stages in the history of land reclamation in the Netherlands Irrigation and Drainage Wiley InterScience 56 56 113 126 doi 10 1002 ird 340 S2CID 128768356 Land Reclamation in the Netherlands 1300 Vs 2000 a b c Eduardo F J De Mulder Ben C De Pater Joos C Droogleever Fortuijn 28 July 2018 The Netherlands and the Dutch A Physical and Human Geography Springer International Publishing pp 20 23 ISBN 978 3 319 75073 6 Forrest Clingerman Brian Treanor Martin Drenthen David Utsler Interpreting Nature The Emerging Field of Environmental Hermeneutics Fordham University Press 1 September 2013 Kijk naar de geschiedenis Rijkswaterstaat Retrieved 21 January 2008 permanent dead link waterschap Archived from the original on 2 November 2012 Ley Willy October 1961 The Home Made Land For Your Information Galaxy Science Fiction pp 92 106 In de Nota Ruimte Ruimte voor ontwikkeling Deel 4 Definitieve versie Hoofdstuk 4 Gebieden en thema s Paragraaf 6 IJsselmeergebied Sub paragraaf 4 Specifieke beleidskeuzen Kop 3 Buitendijkse ontwikkelingen staat op pag 156 De ruimtelijke reservering voor een Markerwaard vervalt PDF Archived 2014 01 14 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e f Teule S G J 2020 The Struggle for the Markerwaard Utrecht University Repository Retrieved 16 June 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Intentieverklaring Marker Wadden Rijkswaterstaat Dutch government bulletin April 2013 Boskalis wins Marker Wadden Island contract Dredging News Online 15 September 2015External links Edit Media related to Land reclamation in the Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Land reclamation in the Netherlands amp oldid 1150206702, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
