Report of the conference Water management in the low countries

On Friday 22 March 2024, World Water Day, the congress ‘Water management in the low countries’ took place at the Joint Research Centre Zeeland of the Hogeschool Zeeland. This interactive congress was organised by Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL) with support from the Schilthuis Fund Foundation, and is a first collaboration with the Delta Climate Centre in Zeeland.

The challenges and opportunities linked to water in all its facets (such as quality, quantity, safety, right to and access to water) are unprecedented and deserve our full attention. During the interactive conference, these challenges and recent developments related to water were discussed in detail. The administrative organisation of water management, water legislation (including water quality, flood protection, freshwater supply and adaptation) and the financing of water management in the Netherlands and Flanders were highlighted.

The conference attendees (a mix of experienced experts and young researchers) also discussed concrete instruments, such as the Flemish and Dutch Watertoets, the Flemish obligation to be able to handle a certain amount of rainwater when building and converting houses, the Dutch policy of ‘water and soil steering’ and the Flemish equivalent.

The findings of the conference will be published in a book edited by Prof Herman Havekes, Prof Marleen van Rijswick and Dr Cathy Suykens. 

For an overview of the presentations and a reflection on the main findings, please visit the Dutch language page: Verslag van het congres Waterbeheer in de lage landen