It is necessary to prepare Zeeland for a period in which the coastal defense as we know it now will become insufficient. Therefore, the Executive Board of Gedeputeerde Staten together with Provinciale Staten are working on a Zeeland strategy for water safety and sea level rise.
Safe and Resilient Delta
The climate is changing, the sea level is rising. The urgency of climate change calls for robust and future-proof choices. We want to ensure the long-term water safety of Zeeland. We focus on a resilient delta where economy, agriculture, water safety and nature go hand in hand. For Zeeland 2050, but especially for the period after.
The current methods of coastal defense are sufficient until 2050-2070, but after that it is uncertain how feasible, affordable or integrable they will be. For this reason, new forms of coastal defense are needed. Developing new forms of coastal defense takes time. Time to think, experiment and make choices, so that by around 2070 we are ready with proven alternatives.
In the summer of 2026, a first proposal will be delivered for the Zeeland strategy on water safety and sea level rise. The Executive Board considers it important to continue building on this within the new Delta Programme, which will be established by the cabinet in 2027. The starting point is to make Zeeland resilient to sea level rise while simultaneously working on a growing delta by reclaiming land from the sea.
Together for the Zeeland Strategy
The executive program previously stated that we will not depolder in Zeeland. This remains the position of the Executive Board. This was recently emphasized in the Provinciale Staten . The Executive Board takes good note of this and wants to shape the Zeeland strategy for water safety and sea level rise together with the Provincial Council.
Deputy Arno Vael: “We are and remain against depoldering. We do not want new Hedwiges. However, we must think about how to continue protecting Zeeland against sea level rise in the distant future. We do this not alone, but with Zeeland. Starting with the Provincial Council. This is how we build together a climate-resilient delta.”
Dike Reinforcement Zak van Zuid-Beveland
Currently, the Scheldestromen Water Board is working on dike reinforcement in the Zak van Zuid-Beveland. Within this process, our national partners want to investigate possible alternative solutions. We do not anticipate any outcome. The actual decision on a possible pilot will follow at a later stage.
