Water board taxes will go up by an average of €50 for homeowners next year to keep the Netherlands “habitable for future generations”, the Unie van Waterschappen has said.

A family living in a home valued at €400,000 will pay €465 in 2024, compared to €413 this year.

Tenants’ bills will go up by €20 on average, as sewage rates are paid by landlords. A single tenant will pay an average of €188 next year.

Rates are set annually by each of the 21 boards, most of whose members are directly elected every four years.

Vincent Lokin, board member of the Unie van Waterschappen, said the decision to set rates was a “balancing act” between what households could afford and the need to maintain the dykes and water quality.

The effects of climate change, which has made both droughts and extreme rainfall more common, also require a robust response.

“The quality of our water in the Netherlands is under strain because of intensive land usage and because more chemicals are ending up in the water that we don’t want there,” he said.

“We are making big investments beacuse we don’t want to pass the problems in our water management on to future generations.”