Column by Evert Jan Slootweg: You’d Better Be Prepared

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Together with you, as residents, we want to make the municipality greener and less built-up. Together with you, we can better prepare for periods of excessive rain, drought, or heat.

Alderman Jan Slootweg

Our municipality is experiencing more frequent and much heavier rainfall. But it is also becoming drier more often and to a greater extent. Finally, we will face periods of prolonged and extreme heat. In January 2025, the municipal council our new Climate Plan. It outlines the measures we will implement over the next five years.

By taking these measures, we can better protect ourselves against extreme weather events. We have already taken significant steps in this direction in recent years. For example, we have worked together to remove paving stones and restore green spaces. This measure reduces the strain on our sewer system during periods of heavy rainfall. But we want to take further action.

Together with the water authority, we are creating climate buffers to prepare for periods of drought. These are reservoirs where we store water. During prolonged dry spells, we can release water from these reservoirs. Farmers, in particular, use this extra water for their crops. We hope this will prevent the need to ration water.

To combat prolonged periods of extreme heat, we are planting more greenery. The (additional) trees provide more shade. They also help water evaporate, which cools the air. A green environment heats up much more slowly than a paved one. As a result, the air temperature rises more slowly on hot days, and nights are cooler. That’s why I’m so happy about the paving campaign for our residents.

Finally, we are taking measures to address periods of heavy rainfall. Our villages are heavily paved, and there are significant elevation changes. As a result, rainwater runs off quickly along sidewalks and roads. That is why we are digging additional ditches and disconnecting from the sewer system more frequently. We are also planting more greenery and trees to help with this. This way, we can keep our feet dry.

We develop plans in collaboration with the water board and the province. But we’d also like to involve you, as a resident. We need your help to make the municipality greener and less paved. Together with you, we can better prepare for periods of excessive rain, drought, or heat.

Evert Jan Slootweg,Alderman
Alderman