DIKE ENGINEERING - Introduction to Soft Soil Geotechnique: Content, Context and Application - page 299

element, and that the safety demand - one of the primary functions - should be
considered in relation with other aspects.

C THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE DUTCH WATER DEFENCE

Organisation of water management
The unique form of self-government - the Water Board - that may be regarded as
having fostered the independent spirit of the western part of the Netherlands, began
to emerge in the first half of the twelfth century. The water boards are authorised to
'manage' water levels in the western lowlands by building and maintaining
embankments, dikes and sluices. The water boards have continued to function in
much the same form to this day, when water has become a crucial factor in many
aspects of life such as industry and recreation and their attendant problems, like
water quality control. The water boards exercise authority over 3500 kilometres of
primary dikes (sea dikes, river dikes (Fig 17.4b), compartment dikes), some 2000
water defence structures or facilities (Fig 17.3), and about 17,000 km secondary
bosom dikes and embankments (Fig 17.4a).

Figure 17.4a Bosom dike; the soil
stratification top-down includes peat,
clay and sand; the groundwater flow is
steady; the height of the dike is 4 m

Figure 17.4b River dike; high water
level; houses built in the river basin
are inundated; water percolates
through and under the dike; the height
of the dike is 6 m

A water board's regulations mostly include detailed provisions for the recruiting
and the functioning of the dike 'army'. When danger threatens, the 'troops' must be
on alert, patrolling the dike and standing by with sandbags and equipment to stop
occurring breaks. Members of the 'army' must be instilled with the need to defend
their families, community and country and have an intimate knowledge of the lie of
the land. Originally, by law, all male residents aged between 18 and 60 have if
urgent to report for duty. At present, this urgency force has been professionalised.
An administrative and a technical department carry on the Board's everyday work.