Effects differ from one sector to the next

During a period of drought, insufficient water will be available for farming. In the event of water shortages, irrigation bans may be imposed. This can cause damage. Agricultural areas on the elevated sandy soils in the south and east of the Netherlands are particularly prone to drought damage. The Climate Damage Atlas estimates the costs of drought-related damage over the period 2018 – 2050. For the agriculture sector, the data is based on lower crop yields and crop damage. Taking the current climate as our point of departure, agricultural drought damage in the Netherlands will run to between 24 and 47 billion euros up to 2050. The lower limit factors in irrigation and the upper limit considers the situation without irrigation. In the event of sharp changes in the climate, drought damage will amount to between 23 and 51 billion euros. Changing land use has been taken into account in this scenario.

During a period of drought, insufficient water will be available for farming. In the event of water shortages, irrigation bans may be imposed. This can cause damage. Agricultural areas on the elevated sandy soils in the south and east of the Netherlands are particularly prone to drought damage. The Climate Damage Atlas estimates the costs of drought-related damage over the period 2018 – 2050. For the agriculture sector, the data is based on lower crop yields and crop damage. Taking the current climate as our point of departure, agricultural drought damage in the Netherlands will run to between 24 and 47 billion euros up to 2050. The lower limit factors in irrigation and the upper limit considers the situation without irrigation. In the event of sharp changes in the climate, drought damage will amount to between 23 and 51 billion euros. Changing land use has been taken into account in this scenario.

Many municipalities are working on greening their urban areas. Greenery boosts the climate resilience of the environment and promotes public health. Expanding greenery in the built environment can help to reduce drought, because more water will be able to seep into the soil. However, drought also constitutes a threat to the greenery. Water shortages in the built environment may lead to drought damage to public greenery. Thus, drought will push up public greenery management and maintenance costs. For each type of landscape, the Urban Areas Climate and Water Requirements study report features a fact sheet with the main conclusions on the future trend in urban water requirements.

Drought can have negative health effects. Some examples:

• Without the washout effects of rainfall, drought increases the amount of particulate matter suspended in the air. Particulate matter is released into the air by strong pollutants such as car traffic, wood stoves and barbecues. Particulate matter particularly affects people with lung problems.
• Heavy showers after a dry period can cause infectious diseases in people and animals. This can happen if sewer overflows occur, which is more likely to happen in drought because water is less able to infiltrate into dry soil. Sewer overflows can cause contaminated water to enter surface and groundwater, as well as the streets.
• During dry periods, water evaporates faster, causing higher concentrations of pollutants in surface water. It is then more difficult to purify the water into clean drinking water.