A few weeks ago, as I was traveling from Maastricht to Amsterdam by train, I kept looking out enjoying the view full of farms, green areas and streams. The groenheid of the Netherlands has always amazed me (perhaps because I grew up in Texas…not so much green there!).

After some contemplation, I began wondering if it was possible for the Netherlands to have a drought. Surely all this rain must be enough, right?

In an effort to inform myself about droogte in the Netherlands, I have been doing some research and have compiled a list of useful bits of information.

• Het droogteseizoen last from April 1st to about the end of September.

• Currently, some regions of the Netherlands are in code red fire warning and a few others are in code yellow. Because of the dry weather, many heaths are prone to fires and the fire departments are on alert.

• The worst droogteperiod in recent history was in 2011 when the levels in the Rhine river reached the lowest since 1921.

• Drought is very dangerous for the dijken that protect the Netherlands from overstroming. The lack of water causes the dykes to dry out and crack, weakening them.

• A recent news article reported that Dutch tomato producers were able to grow tomatoes with 88% less water than normal (4 liters per kilogram as opposed to 35 liters per kilogram of fruit). This means that tomato growers can save water now without risking the fruit which can save many liters of water a year. This discovery also means that countries with more serious drought problems can also grow tomatoes.

The following explains the drought situation in 2015 and what Dutch farmers have been doing to help their crops.

Useful Vocabulary

de droogte– drought
de droogteperiode- drought period or season
de regen- rain
groenheid– greenness
de overstroming- flood
de dijk- dyke
de warmte- warmth
de landbouw– agriculture