Drinking water supplies could be under threat by 2030 unless provinces and water companies take steps to improve their capacity, the public health agency RIVM has warned.

Higher temperatures and lower rainfall in summer have put pressure on supplies in several provinces, including Groningen, Overijssel and western parts of Zuid-Holland.

Unless alternative supplies are found all 10 water providers could be facing shortages by the end of the decade as demand increases, the RIVM warned. ‘Action is needed now to find new sources of drinking water,’ it said in a report published on Monday.

Vewin, the umbrella body for the Netherlands’ water companies, warned last September that the system was close to its limit. It also said the quality of drinking water was deteriorating as a result of intensive agricultural, industrial and domestic use.

The RIVM is calling for more water to be stored in dunes and reservoirs to cover potential shortages in summer. It also said water companies should invest in measures to purify water from the sewage system and ground water.

The government wants to ease demand by reducing the amount of water consumed per person from 128 litres to 100 litres by 2035.

Vewin welcomed the RIVM’s report. ‘Without rapid action by relevant parties, especially the provinces, securing our supplies of drinking water will come under pressure in more places,’ the organisation said.

‘That means it will not be possible to guarantee supplies of drinking water in time for planned new homes.’