Animals in despair. The inundated cemetery.
hydraulic engineers engaged in closing tidal breaches or damming tidal
rivers is that 700 years ago their ancestors carried out almost the same
cyclopean work, though they had not the gigantic cranes, dredgers and
other equipment now available.
Our future still holds many problems. Our soil is sinking and shrinking.
The level of the sea seems to be rising as a result of polar ice melting in
greater quantities. Salt water percolates underneath the dikes and the
dunes, thus raising the salinity of the water required for human consump
tion and for cattle and crops. The water of the rivers Rhine and Maas
is being polluted by waste products of German and French industrial plants.
If this pollution continues at the present rate, the soil of the Netherlands
will be doomed to infertility. Moreover, our population shows a steady
and appreciable increase.
If we are to secure our future, our defence line against the sea must
be as short as possible and stronger than ever; we shall have to explore
new engineering avenues, andwe shall have to be very watchful. The
sea cannot be tamed.
In this struggle we shall gain more and more experience in dealing
with tidal waters and this will inevitably lead to greater knowledge and
skill. One thing is certain: We fight on
The destroyed dike. Who's going to ride me now? The solitary windmill.
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