Weeks of drought have tipped the Netherlands into an official water shortage, with regional watering bans and other measures on the table. The condition is so severe that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management moved the country up from “impending water shortage” (level 1) to a feitelijk watertekort (actual water shortage; level 2). Rijkswaterstaat, the government agency that manages the country’s water, has been working with regional water boards for weeks to “retain water and distribute it as effectively as possible.” Local watering bans may be comingAuthorities have outlined restrictions on pulling water from the ground, streams, and ditches — and where those bans apply, watering is off the table. For now, the guidance is what water companies advise every year; use water sparingly, shortage or not.