It’s an easy segway going from my post “Seasonal Shift” to this one. You think ‘Dutch’, you think ‘tulips’, ‘windmills’, ‘clogs’, ‘cheese’, ‘bicycles(!)’ ‘legal drugs’, ‘red light district’, etc (sigh)…but it’s also very likely you recognize we have ‘a thing’ with water.
Now, you can tell a lot from a people, their fabric and identity when you look at their traditional proverbs, and, for the sake of argument of this post and to give you a further clue of what it’s going to be about, I’ll toss you just a few to warm you up:
- God made the world, but the Dutch created Holland.
Take this literally: the Dutch fought and conquered the sea, built this country by land reclamation, draining the swamplands since the times of the Roman Empire, resulting in one of the oldest forms of democracies that still exist, but also the slowly but steadily sinking of what we now know as The Netherlands. (Note: As a secularist I gently deny the first part, but support the second :p) - A Dutchman without a bike is like a fish without the sea.
I had to put that in and I think it speaks for itself… :-p - De beste stuurlui staan aan wal.
Literal Translation: “The best helmsmen stand on shore.”
Meaning: “The watchers always know better than the doers.” - De wal zal het schip keren.
Literal Translation: “The shore will turn the ship.”
Meaning: “It is inevitable to reconsider ones actions.” - Haastige spoed is zelden goed.
Literal translation: “Hasty speed is rarely good”
Meaning: “Doing something fast does not mean it is done well”
English version: “Haste makes waste.” - Achter het net vissen.
Literal Translation: “To fish behind the net”
Meaning: “To be too late for having success, doing things without result” - Als het water zakt, dan kraakt het ijs.
Literal Translation: “When the water level decreases, the ice will crack.”
Meaning: “A Logical Cause-and-Effect” - Maak je borst maar nat..
Literal Translation: “Make your chest wet.”
Meaning: “You better prepare yourself.” - Waar de dijk het laagst is, loop het eerst het water over.
Literal Translation: “Where the dyke is lowest, water runs over it first.”
Meaning: “The poor will suffer first” - Spijkers op laag water zoeken.
Literal translation: “Looking for nails at low tide.”
Meaning: Being pedantic about small details.
English Equivalent: “Nitpicking.” - Het sop is de kool niet waard.
Literal Translation: “The water isn’t worth the cabbage”
Meaning: “It is no big deal.”
Today at 02:00 P.M. the Delta Committee presented its advice (also through an accompanying film) on how to best protect the Netherlands against the dangers of flooding by the sea and rivers for the next 200 years.
One year ago:
“On September 27 2007 State Secretary Tineke Huizinga (Traffic and Water Management) asked the newly formed Delta Committee to deliver comprehensive advice on how the Netherlands, especially coastal and hinterland, must be protected against the effects of climate change until the year 2200.
River Dike
The committee had to look beyond the usual fifty years and had a broader mandate than the first (1955) Delta Committee after the disastrous floods of 1953 (death toll: 1900). The new committee not only seats water managers, but also ecologists, economists and specialists in spatial development.
Oosterscheldekering
The committee is composed of people from different disciplines such as science, business and public administrations and examines not only the expected sea level rise and other climatic trends but also social, ecological and economic developments of interest to the physical layout of the Dutch coast.”
The result (a Dutch summary which I will soon replace with an English version, find a short English press release here):
Rapport “Working (Together) With Water”
- 12 (re)structural (both existing artificial and natural defenses) recommendations for the entire coast line and river delta.
- Approximated costs: around 1 billion Euros (0.5% of GDP) per year, over the next 100 years.
- Financing: enacting a ‘Delta Law’ for the establishment of a new National Delta Fund.
After the presentation the Prime Minister and the House responded positively and already vouched to enact the Delta Law in 2009. State Secretary Huizinga says this advice offers opportunities for the economy, spatial planning and the environment.
The Union of Dutch Water Boards generally supports its advice and calls it ‘historical’, as it the first time extensive plans have been drawn up before a disaster, instead of after.
I already had little doubt about whether these proverbs would still ring true:
- De huik naar de wind hangen.
Literal Translation: To hang the sail-covers to the wind
Meaning: To adapt ones behavior to circumstances - Niet over één nacht ijs gaan
Literal Translation: “Not crossing the ice after one night of frost.”
Meaning: “Making a decision after careful deliberation.” - “Je moet verder kijken dan je neus lang is.”
Literal Translation: “You need to watch further then the length of your nose.”
Meaning: “You need to take a look at the problem carefully, you need to search the cause of the problem. And not at the effects of it.”
I’d hate to exchange my bike for a raft, you know. And so do 16.5 million other Dutchies.
Google Maps satellite view of the Oosterscheldekering (Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier):
View Larger Map
Go to the Delta Works website for the whole history, technical specifications, photos and a nice video.
Here’s another video about the Oosterscheldekering with some nice cultural and ecological background information.
“Protecting Against Flooding: Holland’s storm-surge barrier” from Horizontalinternationaltv.org
Go to the ‘The Delta Works Through The Lens Of Art Klein’ photoset of ‘The Memory of the Netherlands’ online photo database to see the Oosterscheldekering’s (Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier) construction history. I remember it well, as I visited Neeltje Jans when I was a young boy. Imagine my awe back then. It hasn’t changed since.
(PS: The Hans Brinker tale is cute but fictional, predominantly known to people outside of the Netherlands :-p)
WHAT TO DO NOW?