Land reclamation in the netherlands

Markerwaard polder This Polder is still to be started. Despite building a dyke round the proposed site of the polder work on draining it has not begun. The entire point of the polders was to provide the Dutch population with new reclaimed land with which to ease their rapidly increasing population. However the status is now that the population increase is starting to slow down, and the Government do not want to waste millions of pounds constructing a new polder that they may not even need

Land uses on the polders:

Initially when they have completed the polder the first use is usually agriculture. This allows the Dutch to get something useful from the land as well as letting the soil naturally settle and become firmer for heavier usage.

After some years the polders can be used for larger settlements such as towns and villages to ease the population density.

For and Against

Although the polders are helping the population of the Netherlands to become less dense, it requires draining all water from inside the dyke. This includes wetland areas that supply a vast amount of habitat for animals.

Flood of 1953

A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a storm tide. In combination with a tidal surge of the North Sea the water level locally exceeded 5.6 meters above mean sea level. The flood and waves overwhelmed sea defences and caused extensive flooding.

Officially, 1,835 people were killed in the Netherlands, mostly in the south-western province of Zeeland.

Today's Weather systems.

Today's flood warnings are quite advanced as Billions of pounds is spent on weather forecast and prediction each year.

Buoys out in the North Sea and in the English Channel constantly monitor wind speeds, tide and wave size. Scientists understand how the amount of rainfall is needed. Changes in the Gulf Stream are monitored and everything that contributes to a flood is identified and necessary precautions are made.

Flevolands The Flevolands is a massive project totalling almost 1000 km². This area is now home to Lelystad and Almere. Almere is the fastest growing city in the Netherlands, mainly because it is very close to Amsterdam. It is the largest of the polders the south-eastern part completed in 1957 and the south-western part in 1968. The municipalities on the three parts voted to become a separate province, which happened in 1986.

Delta Project

After the 1953 disaster, the Delta project was concieved. The delta project was a vast construction effort designed to end the threat from the sea once and for all. It was launched in 1958 and completed in 2002. The official goal of the Delta project was to reduce the risk of flooding. This was achieved by raising 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) of outer sea-dykes and 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) of inner, canal, and river dikes to "delta" height, and by closing off the sea estuaries of the Zeeland province.