Monthly air raid sirens in the Netherlands to stop from 2028

The monthly air raid siren that all residents in the Netherlands are familiar with is set to disappear from 2028. The air raid siren will be phased out, as the government has not allocated funds for a replacement, and the NL-Alert system will be used instead.

Dutch air raid sirens to be silenced due to lack of funds

At 12pm on the first Monday of every month, air raid sirens sound across the Netherlands to make sure the system is functioning correctly. From January 1, 2028, the sirens will fall silent as the government phases out the Warning and Alarm System (WAS), reports NOS. 

The Dutch cabinet has decided not to fund a replacement siren network, opting to use the mobile system NL-Alert instead. Two years ago, there was talk of stopping the air raid sirens in 2025, but the contract for the system was ultimately renewed until the end of 2027.

Now, due to a lack of funds, “phasing out in accordance with the earlier decision must be carried out from then on”, says Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel.  

NL-Alert more effective than air raid sirens

While the air raid sirens, or WAS, have been used since 1998 to warn residents of emergencies such as industrial fires, flooding and other catastrophic events, the 4.200 alarms across the country are outdated and fail to alert the whole population. 

Indeed, it was found that in the best-case scenario, the air raid sirens are heard by around 75 percent of people in the Netherlands, while the NL-Alert on mobile phones reaches 92 percent of the Dutch population. 

Van Weel still wants to have a "backup" system in case the NL-Alert fails, even though it's considered "one of the most secure systems in the Netherlands". "The future system could also work via sound, but perhaps in another way as well, for example via light signals," he told AD. Despite not having the funds, the Dutch minister hopes that two years will be enough to find an alternative to the air raid sirens.