netherlands
General Information on Bangladesh
The Netherlands is an MEDC country with mostly coastal land, and some polder land (reclaimed from the sea, mainly by pouring large amounts of soil into the sea to form a piece of land), and a few small hills. There are many windmills were built to pump water out of lowland areas, which is why there are many canals in the Netherlands. It is said that canals can be looked at like a double edged sword; when it rains, it takes longer for it to flood, but when if floods, it will take a long time for it to stop flooding. The main river system in the Netherlands is the “Rhine-Meuse-Schooled delta” which is joined together by the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers across the mainland Europe and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is an MEDC country with mostly coastal land, and some polder land (reclaimed from the sea, mainly by pouring large amounts of soil into the sea to form a piece of land), and a few small hills. There are many windmills were built to pump water out of lowland areas, which is why there are many canals in the Netherlands. It is said that canals can be looked at like a double edged sword; when it rains, it takes longer for it to flood, but when if floods, it will take a long time for it to stop flooding. The main river system in the Netherlands is the “Rhine-Meuse-Schooled delta” which is joined together by the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers across the mainland Europe and the Netherlands.
Factors of Flooding (Natural)
Geological
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Meteorological
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Factors of Flooding (Human Causes)
It is hard to categorize the types of flooding caused by humans like the natural causes, as most of the human effects only add to the previous ones.
It is hard to categorize the types of flooding caused by humans like the natural causes, as most of the human effects only add to the previous ones.
- Deforestation and urbanization: The deforestation and the urbanization has lead to a heavier effect of both fluvial and coastal flooding. For example, the Netherlands was traditionally famous for it’s agriculture. Even though this mean that most of the crops planted will be wasted during floods, the soft soil was a good media for rain water to infiltrate, reaching slower to the river, increasing that lag time, and generating a smaller discharge. Aside from that, naturally in the Netherlands, trees provide good interception for rain water, so you can say that fluvial floods were not much of a problem in the Netherlands. However, due to recent modern day development, deforestation and urbanization (such as filling the lands with concrete and other impermeable substances) has caused these natural advantages to disappear. Fluvial flooding did not become a big problem until the recent 100 years.
Recent floods in the Netherlands (short term effects)
1916
Known as the Zuyder Zee Flood of 1916
On 1916 January 16th to 17th, there was a major flood that happened at Northern Holland. The raining in the previous days has cause the dykes in Zuyder Zee to burst, resulting in a huge flood. Volendam is completely flooded causing it to be isolated, without any communication. The flood was so deep people had to fled with boats. Many farmers in the area had to abandon their farms, as a result, many cattle were drowned. At other towns like Broek and Edam, people fled their homes and took refuge at the churches, because they were all built on highland. This flood caused the Netherlands to build a flood warning system known today.
1916
Known as the Zuyder Zee Flood of 1916
On 1916 January 16th to 17th, there was a major flood that happened at Northern Holland. The raining in the previous days has cause the dykes in Zuyder Zee to burst, resulting in a huge flood. Volendam is completely flooded causing it to be isolated, without any communication. The flood was so deep people had to fled with boats. Many farmers in the area had to abandon their farms, as a result, many cattle were drowned. At other towns like Broek and Edam, people fled their homes and took refuge at the churches, because they were all built on highland. This flood caused the Netherlands to build a flood warning system known today.
1953
The great flood of 1953 in the Netherlands caused 8361 deaths during this flood period. The water level went from 3 feet to around 5 feet. This occurred and lasted for a period from January the 31st to February the 1st. The flood came from the North sea, although warning was issued well before. The flood destroyed 9% of the farmlands in the Netherlands and caused the Netherlands to raise their attention on flooding. This consequently resulted in the creation of “Delta Works Flood Protection”. This was a series of dams, barriers, sluices, locks and dikes around the Rhine-Meuse-Schooled delta to protect the areas within or around it from North Sea floods.
The great flood of 1953 in the Netherlands caused 8361 deaths during this flood period. The water level went from 3 feet to around 5 feet. This occurred and lasted for a period from January the 31st to February the 1st. The flood came from the North sea, although warning was issued well before. The flood destroyed 9% of the farmlands in the Netherlands and caused the Netherlands to raise their attention on flooding. This consequently resulted in the creation of “Delta Works Flood Protection”. This was a series of dams, barriers, sluices, locks and dikes around the Rhine-Meuse-Schooled delta to protect the areas within or around it from North Sea floods.
2012
Small flood that occurred recently
On 1953 January 31st to February 1st, people were evacuated from their homes at northern Netherlands because the recent rain has cause the inland dykes to crack and start leaking. The risk of the dyke bursting caused the police to evacuate the nearby residence. a total of 800 residents were evacuated. A local police officer Ger Blokzijl said that there is a chance of triggering a deluge of water up to 1.5 meters high. The Netherlands meteorological office recorded that the rainfall in recorded in the last few days has equalled to the average rainfall of the entire month. Air, sea and rail transport have been delayed due to safety issues. However, the dykes were repaired shortly after and they did not burst.
Small flood that occurred recently
On 1953 January 31st to February 1st, people were evacuated from their homes at northern Netherlands because the recent rain has cause the inland dykes to crack and start leaking. The risk of the dyke bursting caused the police to evacuate the nearby residence. a total of 800 residents were evacuated. A local police officer Ger Blokzijl said that there is a chance of triggering a deluge of water up to 1.5 meters high. The Netherlands meteorological office recorded that the rainfall in recorded in the last few days has equalled to the average rainfall of the entire month. Air, sea and rail transport have been delayed due to safety issues. However, the dykes were repaired shortly after and they did not burst.
Long term effects of flooding
Social Flooding is a huge problem in the Netherlands. Taking the Great Flood of the Netherlands in 1953, over 8,361 people died, causing many damages not only to the overall economics of the Netherlands, but also devastating the hearts of the ones who suffered because their loved ones passed away. This particular flood has cause stress on the general Dutch community and stressed them to begin the delta project. Many homes were inundated because of the floods. The most major problem there is are the farmlands that were devastated because of these floods (1,550 km2), and over 250,000 people were evacuated along with their farm animals because of this. Most of the crops that can almost be harvested are destroyed and need to be thrown away (as most floods happen in the summer, close to autumn which is the harvesting season). Environment
As mentioned above, the main destructions to the environment consist of mainly the farmlands and the inundated homes that need cleaning. Additionally, if the water damages resources like the natural gases and mines or power plants that burn fossil fuel, it will spread the pollution across the land, causing major environmental damages. |
Economical Economically, the Netherlands was not as widely affected due to the creation of the delta dams. However, the Dutch government still has to compensate for those who did have economical losses because of the floods (such as the farmlands being mostly wiped out or the farm animals dying because of the water). This puts a huge strain on the Dutch economy. It also meant that the people who had economical losses due to the floods also had a tougher time living as now they do not have a long term job that they can keep and not having a stable income. The floods overall do not cause a mass destruction or loss on the general Dutch economy, but it will slowly take away the income of the Netherlands. |