The Dutch water sector: Resourceful and cooperative
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Wind, water and wide open spaces have shaped the Netherlands and its history. To its inhabitants, the Dutch, water has always been both friend and foe. The country that is the Netherlands, often referred to as Holland, is a relatively small deltaic region in Western Europe. Three major European rivers, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt, fan out across the country before flowing into the North Sea.
As in many other deltas around the globe, fertile soil, natural transport routes and a strategic position for cross-border and overseas trade have made this low-lying region particularly attractive to many people: from early settlers (farmers and fishermen) to contemporary entrepreneurs in manufacturing and service industries. Not surprisingly, the Netherlands has long been a sea-faring nation with an international outlook.
Joining forces
In order to live here, the Dutch had to be both resourceful and cooperative. By systematically draining wetlands and lakes, building dikes around them and keeping them dry, they have created new land on which to farm and build. These polders are a well-known feature of the Dutch landscape. As far back as the 13th century, local communities developed district water boards to manage their water. Today these democratic institutions are still operational as regional water authorities. They are an example of how the Dutch have naturally joined forces to face a common enemy and find lasting solutions to water-related challenges.
Exporting know-how
As for resourcefulness, having lived in a delta for centuries, the Dutch had to become skilled water managers. They have learned by experience, both at home and abroad, and have long exported Dutch know-how for the benefit of others. As early as the 7th century, the Dutch helped to reclaim and cultivate land around the Elbe delta, in what is now Northern Germany. During the second half of the 19th century, Dutch engineers were invited to work on coastal land reclamation, irrigation schemes, river management and port construction in Japan and China. These and similar experiences across the world proved to be the basis for lasting relationships between the Dutch water sector and international counterparts, leading to the constant exchange of knowledge and application of water management expertise.
Delta and water technology
Large-scale developments like the embankment of the Zuiderzee to create Lake IJsselmeer (1932) and the construction of the Delta Works in the second half of the 20th century generated new knowledge which was repeatedly applied abroad.
Over the decades, the Dutch have honed their expertise in widely varying aspects of water management, from land reclamation to water education. This expertise now encompasses a vast range of disciplines generally referred to as 'delta technology'
(a term which encompasses hydraulic engineering, flood protection, port development, coastal zone management and dredging) and 'water technology' (including wastewater treatment, drinking water and sanitation). But the Dutch are equally at home in sustainable irrigation techniques and wetland conservation, in the use of ICT and GIS technology to enhance water management, and devising smart (i.e. small-scale, cost-effective) sanitary, water supply and treatment facilities to help improve living conditions.
Sustainable
On a different level, research, education, capacity-building and institutional development rank high on the Netherlands' international water agenda. The Dutch government is strongly committed to an international water management effort and has signed a number of bilateral agreements to advance integrated water management across the globe by exchanging knowledge and experience and cooperating in the sustainable development of water systems. The Dutch water sector covers every aspect of modern water management. It is therefore able to act as both a reliable and knowledgeable partner in the search for solutions to the world's water challenges.
As in many other deltas around the globe, fertile soil, natural transport routes and a strategic position for cross-border and overseas trade have made this low-lying region particularly attractive to many people: from early settlers (farmers and fishermen) to contemporary entrepreneurs in manufacturing and service industries. Not surprisingly, the Netherlands has long been a sea-faring nation with an international outlook.
Joining forces
In order to live here, the Dutch had to be both resourceful and cooperative. By systematically draining wetlands and lakes, building dikes around them and keeping them dry, they have created new land on which to farm and build. These polders are a well-known feature of the Dutch landscape. As far back as the 13th century, local communities developed district water boards to manage their water. Today these democratic institutions are still operational as regional water authorities. They are an example of how the Dutch have naturally joined forces to face a common enemy and find lasting solutions to water-related challenges.
Exporting know-how
As for resourcefulness, having lived in a delta for centuries, the Dutch had to become skilled water managers. They have learned by experience, both at home and abroad, and have long exported Dutch know-how for the benefit of others. As early as the 7th century, the Dutch helped to reclaim and cultivate land around the Elbe delta, in what is now Northern Germany. During the second half of the 19th century, Dutch engineers were invited to work on coastal land reclamation, irrigation schemes, river management and port construction in Japan and China. These and similar experiences across the world proved to be the basis for lasting relationships between the Dutch water sector and international counterparts, leading to the constant exchange of knowledge and application of water management expertise.
Delta and water technology
Large-scale developments like the embankment of the Zuiderzee to create Lake IJsselmeer (1932) and the construction of the Delta Works in the second half of the 20th century generated new knowledge which was repeatedly applied abroad.
Over the decades, the Dutch have honed their expertise in widely varying aspects of water management, from land reclamation to water education. This expertise now encompasses a vast range of disciplines generally referred to as 'delta technology'
(a term which encompasses hydraulic engineering, flood protection, port development, coastal zone management and dredging) and 'water technology' (including wastewater treatment, drinking water and sanitation). But the Dutch are equally at home in sustainable irrigation techniques and wetland conservation, in the use of ICT and GIS technology to enhance water management, and devising smart (i.e. small-scale, cost-effective) sanitary, water supply and treatment facilities to help improve living conditions.
Sustainable
On a different level, research, education, capacity-building and institutional development rank high on the Netherlands' international water agenda. The Dutch government is strongly committed to an international water management effort and has signed a number of bilateral agreements to advance integrated water management across the globe by exchanging knowledge and experience and cooperating in the sustainable development of water systems. The Dutch water sector covers every aspect of modern water management. It is therefore able to act as both a reliable and knowledgeable partner in the search for solutions to the world's water challenges.