Concern over record high water levels in the Netherlands

There are concerns over the high water levels in the Netherlands. The Rhine River appears to have reached its peak level at Lobith, where the river flows into the Netherlands. The water level of the Vecht River in Overijssel has reached a record high, reports the Vecht Currents regional water board.

At 4:10 a.m. on Thursday, the Rhine water level was 14.52 meters above NAP, the average sea level at the North Sea used for measurements across Europe. The peak will move across the rivers in the Netherlands in the coming days.

Deventer, among others, is bracing itself for the rising water. As a precaution, the municipality has used sandbags to raise the quay wall in the Overijssel city.

A water level of 13.14 meters above NAP was measured at the Vecht River on Wednesday. That is seven centimeters higher than in 1998. At the time, the region experienced several major problems, according to the water board .

The board warned that the level will remain high in the near future. At De Haandrik in Hardenberg, where the Vecht enters the Netherlands, the discharge was approximately 185 cubic meters per second, which could rise to 190 cubic meters on Wednesday. "The Vecht is therefore quite full and is exceeding its banks here and there," according to the water board.

Vecht Currents also reports that the discharge of the Dinkel and the Regge tributaries is expected to decrease slightly.

The Vecht also flows through the working area of ​​the Drents-Overijsselse Delta Water Board. It was reported earlier on Wednesday that the water levels in the Vecht and the IJssel were expected to slowly continue to rise until Thursday or Friday.

The Loevestein castle was also forced to close on Thursday due to the high waters, while the Vecht River in Overijssel measured its highest water levels ever breaking the record set in 1998.

Loevestein will close from 4 p.m. onwards on Thursday. The castle is in Zaltbommel, Gelderland, which is now unreachable due to the high water, said the castle manager, Tim Schrijver. "The water is one centimeter under the Munnikenlandse Maaskade's entrance path," Schrijver explained.

"There is expected to be another 30 centimeters added. If the path is flooded and you cannot see where it leads to, it will become too dangerous." the parking places for visitors and personnel were also entirely flooded.

All activities at the castle have been suspended until January 1.