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?