Delta technology symposium
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Working together to ensure safe delta areas
Ladies and gentleman,
‘Inspire and motivate each other to successfully meet future challenges with water', is the message of the video we have just viewed and I think it is also your motivation for gathering here. Today you are talking to each other about winning with water because we want to continue to live in safe, future-proof river deltas.
I think we will be quick to agree that creating an island in the form of a tulip is an attractive idea in itself but not a solution leading to a safer delta. That is not the direction I am seeking in my water policy either.
What I do want is an answer to the consequences of climate change: rising sea levels, salination of fresh water, increased rain in winter and periods of extreme drought in summer.
In New Orleans, it took a disaster to make authorities and citizens aware of the need to invest in coastal defence. In 1953 in the Netherlands as well, it took a major flood before we were prepared to invest on a large scale and build our delta works. You saw the images of this in the film that preceded my speech.
Now that climate change is posing new challenges for us, I want to take action before another disaster occurs, not after. We need a second delta plan. That is why I have created the Delta Commission, which will present a broad recommendation in September.
We need new knowledge to be able to take the right measures to protect our country against the consequences of climate change. Therefore it is good to encourage technological innovation. We can do this by defending our coasts better and giving rivers more room. Climate change is a worldwide problem, so it is important for us to join together internationally to keep our heads above water.
It is also important for us to continue to innovate. You are aware as no one else that the technical challenges we face are complex. Therefore we are dependent on a wide range of scientific disciplines, such as hydrology, hydraulic engineering, geo-engineering, sensor technology and ICT. Innovation is therefore an important part of my water strategy.
I am excited about the ‘Building with Nature’ knowledge programme, which involves research on how we can make optimal use of the opportunities presented by the natural system to configure coastal, delta and river areas sustainably.
An innovative way of using natural processes is depositing sand at sea. This creates more coast, which protects us from rising sea levels. If we deposit the sand in the right place, waves and currents will cause it to spread naturally. I will start with the province of Zuid-Holland and the Sand Motor project, in which large quantities of sand will be deposited off the coast, creating another 75 hectares of coast.
We can protect ourselves from water from the river by giving this water more room. In the past centuries, rivers have had less and less room. They are confined between high dikes, while the land behind them has subsided. New dike reinforcements can reduce the likelihood of flooding. But if we choose just to reinforce our dikes, the consequences of flooding are in fact greater if things go wrong.
I thought it was good to give you an overview of measures we are taking here in the Netherlands, but the world is much bigger than my country. I am convinced that we can only find the right answer to the challenges of climate change through international cooperation. Therefore it is good that you are here together and are working together internationally. The Dutch government is also cooperating internationally: with neighbouring countries and countries farther afield.
In the first place, we are working with neighbouring countries. When a disaster occurs, it is very important for the right information to get to the right place. Since water does not stop at the border, we want to be able to communicate across national borders using an international information system. This is why we have integrated our national high-water system, HIS, with the international FLIWAS system.
Another example of cooperation with neighbouring countries with the high-water exercise held by the Dutch province of Gelderland in April of this year with the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. I followed this exercise on screen at the provincial administrative centre in Gelderland. Because of this exercise, we are better prepared for a potential flood and we have acquired experience in the use of new information technology.
In the second place, we are cooperating with countries farther afield. We are not doing this to better protect ourselves from the consequences of climate change. We do this because we have a moral responsibility to do so as a prosperous country that is used to dealing with water. Countries in development don’t usually have enough money to secure water safety and don’t always have the necessary knowledge at their disposal. We can help other countries by sharing our knowledge and experience. We make our delta technology available and offer a helping hand to the countries affected by floods or extreme drought. In doing this, we also contribute to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals.
That is why the Dutch government has created the Partners for Water programme. This programme enables Dutch governments, businesses and knowledge institutions to share their knowledge and expertise regarding water with other countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
There is already a lot that is happening. But there is much more that still needs to be done. I am setting out policy for the long term, with an important role for technological progress. But we need to work together to deal with the challenges of climate change, both nationally and internationally. This symposium is a good incentive for doing so. I wish you an inspiring and educational day.