The Rise of Rijkswaterstaat

The 19th century is one of great changes. Industrial and political revolutions, emperors and colonies, enormous progress for some and huge stagnation elsewhere. During this century, the Netherlands undergoes a change that can be compared to the first period of land reclamation. We have mainly followed the water boards that manage these polders. However, in the 19th century, Rijkswaterstaat becomes the most important player in Dutch water management.

The Establishment: 1798 – 1815

Rijkswaterstaat was originally established in 1798 by the Batavian Republic, a Dutch regime subordinate to the French revolutionaries. The idea was, and still is to some extent, to have one central body responsible for the construction and maintenance of major water infrastructure. Instead of separate water boards being in charge of this, a national institute was created to carry out projects that water boards were too small, divided, and unprofessional to handle. The main goal of Rijkswaterstaat was to prevent floods, which were still frequent. An important characteristic of this early Rijkswaterstaat is its military nature. The early Rijkswaterstaat was part of a French military institute and primarily received military assignments such as the construction of defensive works.

The Autocratic Period: 1815-1839

After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, the Netherlands was reorganized by the great powers as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which also included Belgium. Under King William I, Rijkswaterstaat received many assignments, such as the construction of large canals and roads. Although Rijkswaterstaat was now a government institute, many responsibilities were still unclear, and engineers received assignments and salaries from both the king and individual provinces. This rather vague organizational structure, and the social background of most engineers, meant that despite impressive achievements, Rijkswaterstaat did not immediately have the reputation we associate with it now. Many of the engineers were practically trained children of relevant workers, such as millers, mapmakers, and carpenters. The highly educated bureaucrats from other ministries certainly did not see them as their equals.

This does not, however, detract from the truly impressive achievements of the early Rijkswaterstaat. For example, 500 kilometers of canals were dug, the first national roads were constructed, and Rijkswaterstaat began mapping the dimensions of all rivers.

But how did this very young institution manage to carry out these projects? In addition to the already mentioned concentration of practical engineers with lifelong experience and an apparently inexhaustible treasury, Rijkswaterstaat was innovative in its way of gathering knowledge and its organizational capacity. By bringing together as much knowledge as possible about Dutch waters and technology, it could be used effectively – unlike the earlier water boards, which kept their own knowledge and did not routinely exchange it with each other. The organizational capacity of Rijkswaterstaat was also remarkable. A large alarm system was set up along the rivers that could provide timely warnings for floods. Data about the rivers was also recorded at the alarm posts, so that lessons could be learned about how currents were distributed across the land. For the digging of the many canals, hundreds of workers were deployed and efficiently managed. Rijkswaterstaat developed a hierarchical but flexible structure, where engineers from different regions collaborated and shared their expertise.

Crisis and Reorganization: 1840-1848

After the separation of Belgium, the finances of the Netherlands became somewhat of a hopeless mess, and the abdication of William I in 1840 did not help either. Rijkswaterstaat took many hits here, and was scaled down in a very short time to “a marginal organization with minimal resources and unimportant tasks to perform and a multiple victim of chaotic reorganizations and budget cuts.” (freely translated from Lintsen (2002)). The top of Rijkswaterstaat was also thinned out by the retirement and death of many prominent engineers.

Democratization and Mechanization: 1848-1890

In 1848, the situation for Rijkswaterstaat and the Netherlands itself changed drastically. On Thorbecke’s initiative, the Netherlands peacefully became a constitutional monarchy, at a time when this often involved a bloody revolution.

Under the new cabinets, often led by more liberally oriented ministers, such as Thorbecke himself, Rijkswaterstaat gained new life and the opportunity to carry out impressive projects. For example, in 1852, Rijkswaterstaat succeeded in draining the Haarlemmermeer, which previously occupied roughly the triangle between Leiden, Haarlem, and Amsterdam. Although Willem I had already commissioned this drainage in 1837, the actual project stagnated for a long time due to the difficulty in finding good contractors. In this project, large steam pumps were built and used for the first time. The forward-looking use of steam pumps, despite some technical mishaps, set an example for how Rijkswaterstaat became an institution that warmly embraced technical innovation.

In addition to this drainage, during this period, Rijkswaterstaat also managed to dig extra canals for inland shipping and to construct 1700 kilometers of railways.

The river plan, in particular, had a significant impact on flood prevention. All major rivers in the Netherlands were given standard dimensions that are optimal for shipping and flow. In the process, many old natural areas disappeared, where rivers previously flowed slowly and maintained unique ecosystems. Although we now consider this a great loss, it must be remembered that the safety of the inhabitants was greatly endangered by these floods.

The result of all this work by Rijkswaterstaat is that the last major flood disaster before 1953 took place in 1873. About 70 years after its establishment, Rijkswaterstaat had succeeded in making the Netherlands almost completely safe from flooding. This may seem like a long time to achieve one goal, but during this time, the Netherlands has completely changed again. Steam pumps stand throughout the country, pumping the polders empty into large, straight rivers that efficiently drain into the sea. Canals connect the major rivers, and as a result, inland shipping connects the economies of large cities. By train, people travel faster than ever from one side of the country to the other. And most importantly: the danger of flooding seems to have almost completely receded.

Ultimately, professionalism, centralization, and democratization ensured that Rijkswaterstaat gained worldwide fame as a pioneer in infrastructure projects. The story of Rijkswaterstaat demonstrates the importance of the wide application of deep technological knowledge, a clear vision, and smart deployment of professionals. As a technical consultant, MareVisie gladly takes an example from this story to successfully complete every technical project.

Sources:
Lintsen, H. (2002). Two centuries of central water management in the Netherlands. Technology and Culture, 43(3), 549–568. https://doi.org/10.1353/tech.2002.0126
Berkers (2002), Technocraten en bureaucraten. Ontwikkeling van organisatie en personeel van de Rijkswaterstaat, 1848-1930. PhD Dissertation (TU Delft)
Wikipedia