Good fences make good neighbours \u2013 but rain fences could make even better ones.<\/p>\n
That is the hope of housing corporations in the Netherlands<\/a>, which are adopting rainwater storage in their garden fences.<\/p>\n In a tidy neighbourhood in Veldhoven, where the social housing provider, Woonstichting \u2019thuis, is installing its first such rain fence, one couple, Theo and Willy Bolder, are already seeing an increase in their popularity. \u201cPeople are all coming round to ask what it costs,\u201d said Willy Bolder.<\/p>\n Outside, between rattan fence panels, a series of plastic blocks have been linked to the drainage from their roof. Together, they will store up to 2,160 litres of water \u2013 reducing pressure on the drains during downpours and preserving rainwater for the garden in times of drought.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rain is getting heavier and heavier nowadays, and if you have a cloudburst the drainage isn\u2019t good and it comes up through the toilet,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of paving, so the water can\u2019t escape.\u201d<\/p>\n Theo added that the hotter summers<\/a> were threatening the trees and their quality of life. \u201cI always go fishing in a lake, it\u2019s always full of water but last summer it was completely dry,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is often a hosepipe ban now and we have a lot of plants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018People are coming round to ask what it costs\u2019: Willy and Theo Bolder are the first in their Veldhoven neighbourhood to have a rain fence. Photograph: Judith Jockel\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The couple are not the only ones to feel the effects of the climate crisis in this low-lying country where, according to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI<\/a>, average temperatures have increased by 1C since 2000, and cities are typically 5C warmer<\/a> than rural areas.<\/p>\n Weather extremes<\/a> are now more likely. The Netherlands was shocked by floods in Limburg in 2021, when more than 15cm<\/a> of rain fell in 48 hours and the River Geul burst its banks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rik Thijs, deputy mayor for public space, greenery and water in nearby Eindhoven, said private and public initiatives were needed to adapt to the changing weather. \u201cOur sewage system cannot cope with the rainfall that is coming, and we cannot increase its capacity, so we need to do things differently,\u201d he said. \u201cThis means that you need to capture as much as possible on the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n This might mean plans to bring an old river<\/a>, the Gender, back to the surface, \u201cwadi<\/a>\u201d pools that can hold water during heavy rain<\/a>, and incorporating green roofs and rainwater storage into housing developments. \u201cThe Netherlands is very vulnerable because we are, of course, one large delta<\/a>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s vulnerability to water<\/a> was graphically illustrated by the North Sea<\/a> flood of 1953, when at least 1,800 people died, tens of thousands of animals<\/a> drowned and there was huge damage to property and farmland. While the disaster, in the province of Zeeland, inspired the Delta Works<\/a> sea defences, it also left its mark on the Dutch entrepreneur Harry den Hartigh, whose company, SunnyRain Solutions<\/a>, installed the storage system in the Bolders\u2019 garden.<\/p>\n \u2018A fence that also serves as a rainwater store\u2019: Harry den Hartigh instals the Bolders\u2019 rainwater fence. Photograph: Judith Jockel\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cI was born in Zeeland and my parents experienced the flood disaster,\u201d said den Hartigh. \u201cMy father volunteered to help, to rescue people, and it was an intense experience. The danger and the value of water are in my blood.\u201d<\/p>\n In his youth, he also saw how Zeeland struggled to source enough fresh water for agriculture owing to brackish water from the sea, and this inspired his rainwater storage system. \u201cI started thinking about how, in an urban area with not much space, you can collect rainwater in a way that is also attractive: a fence that also serves as a rainwater store.\u201d<\/p>\n