Bart Schultz
During the lectures in Civil Engineering at Delft University of Technology, it was in detail explained how these laws and regulations were developed and structured over the centuries. Regular adjustments have been made, responding to recent developments. Initially, flooding, but especially after World War II, water quality aspects, urbanization, and nature development also played a role. Recently, quite a few changes have been implemented in response to the European Water Framework Directive of 2000 and the Environment and Planning Act of 2024 in the Netherlands.
At one of the annual meetings of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), which I have attended almost every year since 1984, a water management specialist from a major international organization tried to convince me that in developing countries, responsibility for water management generally rested with non-governmental organizations (NGO). I was astonished that such a person thought so and asked him if he really believed it. He was certain, which to me meant he didn't understand it.
Shortly afterwards, I made a diagram showing who is responsible for water management and who contributes to it. Initially, I thought this should be clear to most stakeholders, but during various presentations that I have given since then, it became clear that this often was not the case. Also, at various meetings I have attended since then, speakers frequently enthusiastically proclaimed, We are going to do this, or We are going to do that, while it was highly questionable whether the responsible organization would actually ask the individuals involved to do this or that.
The diagram that I made was quite simple (see figure 1 down below). Who is actually responsible, and who contributes?
The national government is generally responsible for policy and legislation. A separate Authority often has a designated implementation organization for the construction, management, and maintenance of water management systems and structures of National importance, such as the Enclosing Dam and the Storm surge barriers in the Netherlands, where construction, operation and maintenance are handled by the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat).
Provinces and management organizations, such as the Water Authorities, are generally responsible for water management systems and flood protection provisions at the regional level, and farmers are responsible for watercourses along their land and irrigation and/or drainage systems on their land. In cities, municipal responsibility for sewer systems and urban canals often falls under the municipality's jurisdiction.
The responsible organizations can vary from country to country. For example, larger countries often have separate River Basin Commissions responsible for the river basin in question. In Europe, there are similar commissions at the cross-border level, such as the commissions for the Rhine and the Danube.
As regards contributions, consulting firms are generally awarded contracts for planning, contractors for the implementation of approved plans, and manufacturers for the supply of machines and products used in implementation, operation and maintenance.
Universities and schools train the next generation of people who will later work for one of these organizations or companies. Research institutes conduct fundamental or applied research aimed at improving water management and flood protection. Banks and donors are involved in the financing. For example, in the Netherlands, there is a separate Water Authority Bank. NGOs and international organizations have programs and projects aimed at improving water management.
Last but not least, farmers' organizations are important in relation to the role of farmers in the operation, maintenance and management of the watercourses in the irrigation and/or drainage systems where their farms are located.
For effective water management in the polders, it will be crucial in the coming years to clearly recognize the aforementioned division of roles and to properly carry out the required activities within these roles.
