Netherlands Drought Study

The Netherlands Drought Study is an integrated survey of water policies for and during periods in which water is scarce. The survey has been carried out jointly by Government, Provinces and District Water Boards. The Study made an assessment of the nature, seriousness and scope of drought in the Netherlands and made proposals for dealing with dry periods, in connection with waterlogging and water quality (Water Framework Directive). The Netherlands Drought Study is one of the projects that stems from Waterbeheer 21e Eeuw (National Policy on Water management 21st Century). The Drought study is also mentioned in the National Administrative Agreement on Water (Nationaal Bestuursakkoord Water). The Drought Study examined, amongst other things, "whether a system of standardisation of water shortage damage is desirable, and if so, what form it should take."

This website is one of the outcomes from the Netherlands Drought Study. Its function is to inform water managers over all aspects of droughts and to provide (technical) information over current and future water shortages. Other products from the Drought Study are the Largest Water Shortage and the final reports. The Study used various potential future situations as a basis: the so called scenarios. Forecasts were drawn up for the effects of droughts in every single scenario.

Over time more information has become available and the used scenarios were replaced in 2006 by new climate scenarios made by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI'06 climate scenarios). Those scenarios are used currently to perform calculations.

Click for more information about the Netherlangs Drought Study on 'Phase 1' or 'Phase 2'.