What can citizens or farmers do with a government that rejects the dike in their area? What role does knowledge play in participation regarding flood protection? And what process is needed to give local residents a realistic seat at the table for complex risk decisions and intricate engineering calculations? “Dikes for Beginners” provides answers to these questions and other pressing issues.
A participation process in Durgerdam
It started a few years ago when Tom den Boer and Hans van Zijst on behalf of the water board, conducted a second opinion on the participation process for the southernmost 2 kilometers of the Markermeerdijken, in the middle of the picturesque village center of Durgerdam. They advised a different approach: restarting the participation process.
Tom then filled this in with an intensive process of citizen engagement, in collaboration with the municipality of Amsterdam, the province of North Holland, and the Water Board Hollands Noorderkwartier. In doing so, he focused on knowledge transfer from the network of the Flood Protection Program to the residents of Durgerdam. Evening lectures followed on macro stability, settlement, wave calculations, and other technical topics. This helped residents to better understand the usefulness and necessity of the approach to this section of the Markermeer dikes. Ultimately, an outcome was reached that had the approval of the stakeholders. This process won the WOW Award 2019 (Water meets Water and H2O).
From practical experience to publication
The experiences in Durgerdam inspired Tom to put his knowledge on paper and invite others to contribute. The result is a beautifully designed publication that insightfully addresses the core concepts of flood protection. It features interesting stories from citizen experts involved in dike reinforcements, stunning photographs, and illuminating drawings. This too is stakeholder engagement: sharing knowledge from personal experiences, disseminating information, and offering inspiration.
