The Zeeland Duchess Hedwigepolder may not be flooded for the time being. That is the opinion of the House of Representatives, which passed by a large majority on Tuesday passed a motion because of concerns about the consequences of depoldering for people and the environment. The Western Scheldt water, which would flow into ‘the Hedwige’ if dikes were excavated around the polder, is polluted with PFAS, chemical substances that can be harmful to health in large quantities.
The House requests the cabinet, in consultation with the Flemish government, to postpone the excavation of the dykes around the Hedwigepolder until “it has been established that there will be no negative effects on nature development and a healthy living environment”, according to the motion. In the coming months, Rijkswaterstaat will conduct research into PFAS at swimming spots on the Western Scheldt near Perkpolder, Baarland and Vlissingen. SP MP Sandra Beckerman has asked the cabinet to let us know in a letter how it will implement the adopted motion.
Also read: A chemical factory discharges harmful PFAS into the Western Scheldt – and has a perpetual permit for this purpose
A factory of the American chemical group 3M in Zwijndrecht in Belgium (near Antwerp) has a permit without an end date for the discharge of large quantities of PFAS into the Western Scheldt, which flows from Belgium to the Netherlands. People living near the factory were found to have too high PFAS levels in their bodies. The chemicals found are associated with cancer, elevated cholesterol, and immune and reproductive problems.
The Hedwigepolder, which was reclaimed in 1907, is almost 300 hectares in size. In 2012, after years of political haggling, it was decided to flood the polder again, so that the Netherlands would meet European environmental requirements. Work on depoldering has already started, forcing people to leave their homes. However, the dyke around the Hedwige will be breached in October at the earliest, because the new ring dyke has not yet been approved by the responsible water board.
Also read: Hedwigepolder: beautiful fens in the past, soon polluting chemicals
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