Drought threatens the Netherlands’ iconic dikes and grounds houseboats
- Jeroen Wouda and Dirk Boom meticulously probe the bone-dry surface of a Dutch dike with metal rods, scanning parched grass for any green patches that might betray a leak.
- The scene evokes the legendary Dutch boy who heroically plugged a dike with his finger, but these modern patrols are hunting for cracks in the low-lying Netherlands’ famed water defences, caused by a severe drought gripping Europe.
- This widespread drought has already fuelled raging wildfires in France and Spain and driven the Danube and Rhine rivers to record low levels.
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- Jeroen Wouda and Dirk Boom meticulously probe the bone-dry surface of a Dutch dike with metal rods, scanning parched grass for any green patches that might betray a leak.
- The scene evokes the legendary Dutch boy who heroically plugged a dike with his finger, but these modern patrols are hunting for cracks in the low-lying Netherlands’ famed water defences, caused by a severe drought gripping Europe.
- This widespread drought has already fuelled raging wildfires in France and Spain and driven the Danube and Rhine rivers to record low levels.
Sources: The Independent