Iris Boots, Michelle Alders & Teun Portegies
The West-frisian surrounding dyke
• 126 km• Built in 1250 AD
The Nederlands have always been fighting against the water
North Sea flood of 1953
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhURVg2Ea4
The Delta works•Building duration: 57 years•Finished in 1997
Situation in Holland:Strengthen the dykes:
Hans winkel (responsible for the dyke in West-friesland)
For what kind of company do
you work?
I work for Hoogheemraadsc
hap.
What’s your function in this
company?
I’m part of the management team and I’m
responsible for the realization.
What are the problems West-
Friesland is facing now and in the
future?
The problem is that the water level is rising.
Which methods do you use to fight against the water?
We’ll raise the height of the dykes for the
coming 50 years.
How much money does it cost to save West-Friesland? €5.000.000.
000
What kind of
problems do you
have with this dyke
we are standing on
now?
The dyke is too weak for the
next 50 years.
Can you tell us something about the history of the Westfriese omringdyke?
The dyke is almost 800 year old. It’s
built out of several layers. The height
of the dyke has been raised every
10 years with a new layer.
What will happen to Holland if we won’t do anything about the situation, in case of global warming?
Most of the country is below sea level.
If we don’t do anything, the water would overflow the country and it will disappear, as in
1953.
How many
employees are working to protect
us against the water in the
Netherlands?
Over 800 employees.
Do you expect that
we will have to evacuate people in West Friesland in
the nearby future?
No, I don’t think that it
will be necessary.
Lucky us!
And what if we decided to do nothing?