Netherlands officially declares water shortage amid persistent drought

The Netherlands officially declared a water shortage on Thursday after weeks of persistent drought, prompting authorities to raise the national drought response level, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management raised the response to Level 2 following advice from the National Water Distribution Coordination Committee, as the shortage is expected to continue in the coming weeks.

Under the measures, priority will be given to protecting flood defenses and drought-sensitive dikes, followed by drinking water supplies and energy production.

Regional authorities will reportedly decide whether additional restrictions are needed, while Limburg has already restricted the use of surface water for purposes including farmland irrigation.

Rijkswaterstaat, the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, said there is no risk to public drinking water supplies but urged people to use water responsibly during the dry period.

River inflow into the Netherlands has fallen to its lowest level since 1976 at Lobith.

The National Water Distribution Coordination Committee said the current shortage is more severe than usual and warned that the risk of drought has increased over recent decades because of climate change.

The last time the Netherlands raised its drought response to Level 2 was in August 2022. The highest alert level, Level 3, was last declared in 2003.