Drainage problems in deltaic and estuarine areas

Netherlands

Geography

The Netherlands is a low lying, densely populated country bordering the North Sea. The major part of the country consists of lagoon and delta type areas, originating from the deltas of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers. But to create their country, the Dutch had to fight for centuries against water coming from the North Sea, the rivers, rainfall, or from waves on the lakes during storm surges. The total area of the Netherlands is 41 526 Km² , (Of this area about 18% is wetland) of which about one third is situated below mean sea level, whereas about 60% of the land is protected against flooding.

Population and land use

The population of the Netherland is 17.3 Million as per Population reference Bureau (2019). The Netherlands is a very densely populated country, varying from 190 inhabitants per Km² in the northern part to 915 inhabitants per Km² in the low lying ...Read more