Overview
- Netherlands’ environmental advisory council Rli warned that climate change, pollution and growth threaten the drinking-water supply and urged a single national strategy with the state in charge.
- Local water boards have shifted into drought response, with Waterschap Brabantse Delta banning water take from ditches and streams in seven parts of Midden- and West-Brabant and Utrecht raising groundwater to avoid bans.
- Infrastructure minister Vincent Karremans said household taps will keep running and promised a national drinking-water strategy by the end of next year, plus a public campaign this summer to cut use.
- Karremans questioned broad price hikes to curb demand and pointed instead to higher tariffs for very high use, diverging from Rli’s push for stronger pricing to deter excess consumption.
- Water companies’ group Vewin backed stronger national control and long-term funding, and planners face pressure from RIVM’s estimate that demand in 2030 will be about 100 million cubic meters higher than in 2020.