Water company Vitens has had to refuse drinking water applications from companies for the first time. Vitens director Jelle Hannema says in Fidelity that it goes without saying that water always comes out of the tap is under pressure.
Causes of this include climate change, economic growth and the construction of a million new homes, according to the director. Vitens had to refuse various drinking water requests from companies in Overijssel and a few in Gelderland. Those companies are now temporarily without water. Vitens warned earlier this year for that.
The ten drinking water companies in the Netherlands have a supply obligation to private individuals, this does not apply to companies. Also, no water reserves are used for companies.
At the moment, Vitens is not able to meet all company requests because not all permits granted can be used for the extraction of drinking water. Some permits conflict with the Nature Conservation Act.
Hannema wants municipalities and provinces to issue new permits more quickly in order to increase capacity. Drinking water demand is expected to increase by 10 to 15 percent due to the construction of one million new homes before 2030.
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