When the water rises, systems fail or a dike comes under pressure, one thing must remain intact: overview, knowledge and peace of mind. Exactly what Marian Booltink does best. "If there really is a crisis, I am a crisis management advisor and process leader. In the cold phase, when there is no crisis, it means that I practice and train HDSR employees to be prepared for all kinds of water crises. For example, as recently as November 2025, I organized the major exercise Cloudburst with 700 participants."
Crisis management water board
Water boards are responsible 24/7 for safe dikes, dry feet and healthy water. That focus makes crisis management within a water board different from other safety organizations. "We are not concerned with population management, security and public order," Booltink explains. "We look at how water moves around the country and how we can manage that." According to her, crisis management is only in order when the system continues to function even under unexpected circumstances. "If, even when things go differently than planned, we as a team keep things together and manage to limit damage, then we are doing well. Things are in order when everyone knows their role, the team acts together, scripts are in the heads and the organization has well-trained people and the right resources."
Risk picture greatly broadened
She says the risk picture has greatly broadened. "The world of water management has become more complex over the past decade. We used to be concerned with too much or too little or too dirty water and dike monitoring. Now new threats have been added. We are more concerned with deliberate disruptions, attacks on our water system. Cyber threats, network failures and sabotage are scenarios that are now routinely included in exercises and plans. In addition, you have to deal with beaver digging and weather extremes." For example, both extreme precipitation and prolonged drought must be taken into account. "In both situations, we deploy dike monitoring."
Dike monitoring
Dike monitoring is therefore a crucial part of water safety - especially given its location on the Rhine River with a number of large dikes. Where are the biggest vulnerabilities? "HDSR has 250 trained people who are deployed when things get exciting. They recognize deviations in dikes." The biggest vulnerability is that dikes can suffer damage without being immediately visible. "We are a little wary of beaver diggers. They are beautiful animals, but in a dike we would rather not see them."
Misconception of water crises
According to Booltink, the term "flooding" is not always used correctly. "Flooding sounds pretty friendly. But when it really happens, you're talking about severe mudslides of dirty, foul-smelling water - this is silt. Then it is no longer a nuisance, but a disaster for the people it affects. Residents don't always realize how complex water management is. Also, the power of water is still often underestimated." A reality, which requires intensive cooperation with safety regions, municipalities and other partners.
Resilient water management, resilient water managers and resilient residents."
Good cooperation
"The cooperation is generally going well. Because organizations know each other and know that we need each other." Still, according to Booltink, it becomes more challenging when a crisis crosses borders. "If it crosses several regions or organizations, you are sitting at the table with a lot of parties. Then you really have to be able to switch gears well. Administration, technology and operations have to understand each other. That requires clear communication, good information and joint exercise, including at the ministerial level." The so-called PBOB agenda helps keep structure.
From data to interpretation
Elevations of water levels, precipitation forecasts, soil measurements - the amount of information is enormous. But numbers alone are not enough. "Information-driven work means, above all, sharing and capturing data. We have our crisis management system for that. But you have no use for numbers if you can't do anything with them." Mathematical models and weather forecasts have uncertainties. These are deliberately included in scenario thinking. Extreme high, extreme low - both variants are prepared. "The challenge is in the interpretation. Technical information has to become understandable for administrators and partners. You have to be able to explain it in Jip-and-Janneke language."
Strength of national expert team
Together with someone from Rijkswaterstaat, Booltink is also coordinator of the Crisis Expert Team for Water Defenses (CTW). "This includes 55 enthusiastic core experts from water boards, Rijkswaterstaat and Defense. If there's a problem with a dike somewhere, you can contact them quickly. They arrive on the scene and immediately advise on possible emergency measures. It doesn't help you to know there's a problem. You need to know how to solve it. These are the best people we have in the Netherlands," she says proudly. International cooperation also provides a lot of knowledge. For example, Booltink is on two international programs for STOWA. "We have very good ties with neighboring countries and water managers there. Sometimes I go to England where a dike breaks. Then I am there a day later to see how they fill a hole in the dike and how they inform residents. We learn a lot from this."
Educate and train
Because major water crises are rare, practicing is essential. "If you want to count on people during a crisis, they need to be educated and trained," she says. "We practice more than we have real crises. It's really nice to work together as a team, shoulder to shoulder. To know that we are doing something meaningful. After every exercise there is an evaluation, we name successes and also areas for improvement. Learning is a structural part of the work." And what could be improved, Booltink mentions right away: "That is sometimes switching to action faster. So shorter meetings, earlier decisions."
This requires people who understand technology and can communicate. At the same time, we continue to cherish the value of experience and traditional knowledge."
Professional of tomorrow
The type of professional in water management is changing. "Our people in the crisis room are slowly changing. More use is being made of data, computational models and AI. Think drone images, infrared images and satellite data. You have to be able to translate that information into a clear story. Even for a mayor where there is a water threat. That requires people who understand technology and can communicate. At the same time, we continue to cherish the value of experience and traditional knowledge."
Resilience as core message eRIC
At eRIC, Marian Booltink speaks personally about resilient residents, resilient water managers and resilient water management. Her message to visitors is clear: Be prepared! Think about what can fall out. Understand your own role in it all.
For her, water is more than work. "Water is in my DNA. Because we manage it well here, we can live and work here." And exactly that conviction drives her every day. And she takes that same conviction to the first day on the show floor: crisis management does not start with panic, but with preparation, professionalism and cooperation.
Want to know more? Visit the lecture Resilient water management, resilient water managers and resilient residents of IR. Marian Booltink during eRIC on April 22 at 3 p.m., lecture hall 2.
