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Add as a favourite source on Google Add DutchNews as a favourite source on GoogleTalks are being held in The Hague on Thursday on whether extra measures are needed to conserve drinking water and protect rivers and canals during the ongoing drought.

Water boards, providers of drinking water and the highways agency Rijkswaterstaat are among the agencies attending the discussions at the infrastructure ministry, AD.nl reported.

The Netherlands is currently at level two on a three-stage scale of water shortages, which authorises officials in the ministry to hold crisis talks. An actual crisis is level three.

A spokesman for infrastructure minister Vincent Karremans would not be drawn on the possible outcomes of the meeting, but water boards could agree to bring in further restrictions on river traffic or close sluices.

Key inland routes such as the Twentekanaal, which links three towns in the east of Overijssel, and Deventer’s harbour introduced restrictions this week after the IJssel river dropped to historic low levels.

“By limiting sluice openings we can retain as much fresh water a possible, but these measures have an impact on river traffic and the economy,” the spokesman explained.

Water regulators could introduce one-way traffic on sections of river where the navigable area has narrowed to prevent ships becoming stuck while overtaking, but that will slow down delivery times or force freight to be transported by road.

The flow in the Rhine is down to 650,000 litres per second at Lobith, the point where the river enters the Netherlands – one-third of the normal level for July. Before this year the slowest rate recorded was 782,000 litres per second in the drought year of 1976.

The height of the river is expected to drop to 6.35 metres by the weekend, which would be 15cm below the previous record low.

The Scheldestromen water board in Zeeland issued a ban on Thursday on drawing surface water from ditches, creeks and other waterways to prevent water levels dropping further. The authority warned that the restriction was likely to be in place for a lengthy period of time.

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