Dutch Drinking Water May Be Hurt by Changing Climate
The Netherlands, almost a fifth of which is covered by lakes, rivers and dikes, may be unable to use surface waters as a source for drinking water by 2050 due to the changing climate and contaminants.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said worsening water quality and drought is affecting the country, whose total area is 41,500 square kilometers (16,000 square miles), slightly larger than the U.S. state of Maryland, 18.4 percent of which necessitate travel by boat.
The issue occurs “during dry years, when water quality standards are exceeded during periods that last from days to months,” the RIVM institute said on its website. Water quality deteriorates in periods of low river discharge as the effect of spills from sewage treatment plants is much larger due to less dilution, the government agency said.
