News Water
Better register the use of groundwater
The registration and measurements of the use of groundwater need to be improved, especially for agriculture where the quantities are only partially registered and small abstractions for which there is no licensing or reporting requirement. This is stated in a report of an inventory of groundwater abstractions, commissioned by Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, the outgoing Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Van Nieuwenhuizen presented the findings to the House of Representatives last Monday (March 29). The Interprovincial Consultation (IPO) and the Union of Water Boards (UvW) conducted the study.
Reason for it research the past 3 dry summers. These have created more demand for water, especially from agriculture. Due to the large precipitation shortages, there was an imminent water shortage in the Netherlands. Various water boards therefore announced bans for irrigation with surface water in 2018, 2019 and 2020. This problem mainly occurs on the higher sandy soils.
Agriculture use is not registered
In principle, the use of groundwater is subject to a permit or notification requirement. Agriculture has an exception for many water boards. For irrigation, the amount of water that has been used does not have to be passed on. The researchers note that water use in agriculture has increased considerably in recent years. Private individuals who use less than 10 m3 per hour for, for example, watering the garden, do not have to report the withdrawal. This, in combination with decreasing water availability, puts pressure on the groundwater system.
The limited insight into the amount of groundwater that is extracted by agriculture and private individuals is a reason for the provinces and water boards to reassess their groundwater and irrigation policy. Part of the review is improving the registration of withdrawals and quantities.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.