The Rivierenland Water Board is expecting a fifth high-water wave on the large rivers at the end of this month. The water will not be as high as during the last two peaks, but it will be a high water level again. Seepage in the polders will increase again, and water in basements and crawl spaces will not disappear yet, the board said on Tuesday. Rijkswaterstaat also predicts that the Rhine, Waal, Lek, and IJssel water will rise again from Saturday. The discharge of the Maas will also increase again.
The Rhine River will reach its highest level on Sunday near Lobith, Gelderland, where the river enters the Netherlands from Germany. It will be the fourth high water peak observed since November 22. It is extremely rare that such high water levels are measured in Lobith in a relatively short period of time.
The highest water level of the Rhine River in Lobith will be reached on Sunday. The water level in the Gelderland village, where the river enters the Netherlands, is somewhat lower than what infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat expected. The river will reach a peak of about 14.35 meters above the NAP Amsterdam sea level, which is about 15 centimeters lower than the peak observed just before New Year's Eve, the agency said.
Water boards are advising against letting children or pets play in streets or other areas that have been flooded by high water levels. The water from rivers, streams, and ditches has not been purified. It can, therefore, be contaminated, according to the municipality of Hoorn, where the Visserseiland street has been under water for days.Hoorn has placed extra big bags on Visserseiland due to Rijkswaterstaat expecting a new high water peak in the Markermeer on Friday or Saturday.