It turns out that the Netherlands isn’t exactly winning any awards when it comes to water quality. In fact, it has the worst water quality of all countries in Western Europe. Congratulations!
That’s not even the worst part, because according to Wageningen World, a publication of Wageningen University, only 1% of Dutch waterways meet EU standards.
This is not a new discovery. This report was published as early as 2022, but there has still been no significant improvement. Lakes and rivers are quite dirty, even though they are beautiful, but the quality of the drinking water is excellent.
Photo: Deyna, Unsplash
This study examined 700 designated water bodies across the country and found that they met the lowest standards in the European Union. Water quality is measured based on the amount of pollutants detected, biodiversity, and other variables.
Peter Schipper of Wageningen Environmental Research explains why:
‘Through our agriculture, industry, transportation, and high population density, we naturally introduce pollutants.’
He also says that:
‘The Netherlands is already the drain of Western Europe: polluted water from abroad flows into the country via streams and rivers.’ Yikes!
There are many fantastic reasons to live in the Netherlands, but when it comes to water quality, we’re lagging behind. The European Union sets standards and the government is taking measures to improve them, but now that the weather is hopefully getting warmer, you might be better off not diving into your local pond.
