The Netherlands: Living on the Water’s Edge September 20, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment About one-third of the Netherlands lies below sea level. Since the 1950s, the country has spent billions beefing up its flood defenses, and one method involves building polders. CNA’s Tang See Kit explains what polders are and visited the polder area of Delfland, where everything is 3m to 4m below sea level.