5 reasons to vote
The Dutch Water Authority elections are coming up soon. This means that everyone aged 18 or older can vote on March 15! Through the Water Authority elections, you have a say in the future of water in your area. There are serious choices to be made: choices about how we live, about how much tax we pay and even about how we can spend our free time. To make it clear why you should vote, we give you five reasons why you should here below!
1. Extreme weather is becoming more common
You may remember the floods in the province of Limburg two years ago. Or more recently the drought of last summer. Extreme weather conditions are also becoming more common in the Netherlands. The question is: how do we protect ourselves from this? 60% of the Netherlands can be flooded, but with about 18 thousand kilometers of flood defenses, such as dams, dikes and locks, it is ensured that we will keep our feet dry. To keep it that way, we must continue to innovate and invest in maintaining these dams, dikes and locks. What we can also do is wait and solve the problem when it arises, meaning that we don’t invest in advance, but repair damage after a flood, for example. What do you think is best?
2. The Netherlands is dealing with a water shortage
Summers are getting hotter, and extreme drought is occurring more frequently in the Netherlands. Studies show that this will only increase in the future. And it tends to be dry at times when we need a lot of water for nature, agriculture, industry and consumers. So it is important to use water wisely. On average in the Netherlands we use 120 liters of water per person, per day. But suppose you use less water, do you think you should be rewarded or should everyone just pay the same amount of water taxes?
3. Almost a third of the Netherlands lies below sea level
The lowest point in the Netherlands lies in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel at 6.76 meters below sea level. This puts Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel among the 26% of our country that is below sea level. In addition, 60% of the Netherlands is at risk of flooding. What if you live in one of these places? We could ask ourselves whether we should still build houses in such an area, or whether we should build elsewhere. You can vote on that on March 15.
4. Purifying sewage is getting more and more expensive
All the water from our sinks, toilets and showers must be purified before we can use it again. The more polluted the water, the more expensive the purification. Basically, only the 3 P's are allowed in the sewer: poop, pee and paper. Everything else requires additional treatment. That means the more conscious we are about the water we flush down the drain, the easier it will be to purify. What do you think: should we put more effort into this or just invest more tax money in better treatment plants?
5. The water in the Netherlands must be cleaner
The water in ditches, streams and rivers is already much cleaner than thirty years ago, but for nature it would be better if it were even cleaner. What do you think: should the Water Authority be fully committed to super clean water or is a certain amount of pollution inevitable these days?
As you can see there is plenty to choose from. Are you wondering what suits you best? Then have a look at the website MijnStem.nl () (the voting guide for the Water Authority elections).