Housing corporations in the Netherlands are installing rain fences that store rainwater, aiming to reduce pressure on drains during downpours and preserve water for dry periods. In Veldhoven, social housing provider Woonstichting ’thuis has fitted a fence that can hold up to 2,160 litres of water, linked to roof drainage.
Residents Theo and Willy Bolder said the system helps prevent sewage overflow during heavy rain and provides water for their garden during droughts. “The rain is getting heavier and heavier nowadays, and if you have a cloudburst the drainage isn’t good and it comes up through the toilet,” Willy Bolder said.
The Netherlands is increasingly vulnerable to climate extremes, with average temperatures rising 1C since 2000 and cities 5C warmer than rural areas, according to the KNMI. The 2021 Limburg floods, where over 15cm of rain fell in 48 hours, highlighted the need for adaptation.
Rik Thijs, deputy mayor of Eindhoven, said the sewage system cannot cope with current rainfall, so capturing water on the surface is essential. Initiatives include restoring old rivers, creating “wadi” pools, and integrating green roofs and rainwater storage in housing.
Entrepreneur Harry den Hartigh, whose company SunnyRain Solutions installed the fence, was inspired by the 1953 North Sea flood that killed 1,800 people. “The danger and the value of water are in my blood,” he said. His system collects rainwater in an attractive fence, addressing both flood and drought risks.
Jannes Willems, assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, said rainwater harvesting is a simple fix: “You can better let it infiltrate the soil through green measures, bringing back natural elements in cities. And then, in times of heatwaves, that can lower temperatures.”
