“Providing space for water is not free”

Water is vital, but it can also be very threatening. We have experienced this in recent weeks. It is terrible what happened to the inhabitants of Germany and Belgium.

Fortunately, to our knowledge, there are no deaths in the Netherlands. But the disaster that struck Limburg is enormous. The LLTB made recordings with a drone. It is only in these images that the scale of the disaster becomes apparent.

And now? This is the question that has been constantly asked of us in recent weeks. No one really has an answer for that right now. Several politicians and administrators visited the affected areas at the invitation of the LLTB.

Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten was already in South Limburg on Monday after the disaster to see this tragedy with her own eyes. We greatly appreciate his compassion and his coming! What touched me the most during these visits were all these entrepreneurs with plans for the future who now fear for their survival.

The question remains: what can we expect from our government now? It goes without saying that the farmers give room to the river in winter when it is needed. We cannot and must not bear the damage that occurs now that water takes up space in the middle of summer and flows over our businesses and plots.

I understand the cabinet will meet in mid-August to decide what to do. Here is my call to help us again. We who give the water space so that downstream cities are not flooded, demand compensation for the costs that we incur as a result and that we cannot insure!