International Water Week
In het waterbeheer is voorkomen beter dan genezen. Die boodschap bracht staatssecretaris Atsma op 31 oktober in Amsterdam tijdens de openingsceremonie van de International Water Week Conference. Hij pleitte ervoor water te betrekken bij alle ambities, plannen en projecten, omdat water van vitaal belang is voor vrijwel alle aspecten van ons leven: veiligheid, gezondheid, voedsel, economie, ruimtelijke inrichting, natuur en cultuur. Nederland omschreef hij tegenover het internationale publiek als ‘an ambitious and open-minded partner in water expertise’.
Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the Netherlands.
We are proud to host this conference, with so many distinguished guests.
I think many of you arrived at Schiphol Airport today.
Not many people know that Schiphol is one of the lowest major airports in the world.
4 metres below sea level.
We have another airport that is situated even lower.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport is 6 metres below sea level.
And yet, you all managed to arrive safely…
In fact, our delta region is one of the best protected in the world.
Half of the world’s population lives in delta areas.
Just like us.
More than half of our country is vulnerable to flooding.
That is why we feel a natural bond with other nations that are defending themselves against the sea and against rising rivers.
Hardly a month goes by without a disaster involving water.
We feel solidarity with the people in Thailand, who suffer from terrible floods.
Many people were killed. Thousands lost their homes.
Roads have been destroyed. Farmland is useless. Schools and hospitals have been swept away.
The reverse happened in East Africa this year.
The worst drought in sixty years.
The consequences are horrible to millions of families.
We may not turn away from disasters like this.
Water (or lack of water) is clearly an international affair.
Rivers connect countries across borders.
And shifting weather patterns caused by climate change, affect us all.
Water plays a vital role in almost every aspect of our life.
Our safety.
Our health.
Our food.
Our economy.
Our nature.
Our living environment.
Our culture.
That is why we shouldn’t see water as a stand-alone issue. It should be factored into all our ambitions, plans and projects.
Water is cross-cutting.
It is time to recognize this reality, and act accordingly.
We have to build bridges between sectors.
And we have to bring experts from all countries together to work out the best solutions.
2.5 billion people have no access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
Without these basic facilities, people cannot build a better life for themselves and their children.
The same goes for people who are hungry, in countries with water shortage.
That is why our international activities should be focused on these topics.
We are working on cutting-edge solutions to get more crop out of every drop.
For example, we have developed new varieties of potatoes that can grow on salty soil.
And we are exploring the possibilities of blue energy.
We have also adapted a sustainable approach to waste water.
There is no waste water! Only water that is wasted.
Therefore we purify and reuse almost 100% of the water we use.
Another priority on our agenda is, of course, water safety.
In our country, we are investing 6,5 billion euros in the next ten years to keep our feet dry.
But we look further ahead than that.
We have chosen an adaptation strategy in which we look one hundred years into the future.
Our Delta Programme is an active approach aimed at flood risk management and freshwater supply in the long term.
In the world, it is first in its kind.
Innovation plays an essential part in our Delta Programme.
For example, we are ‘building with nature’ with a natural ‘Sand Engine’.
We are depositing millions of cubic meters of sand in the sea, in the shape of a large hook.
This hook is connected to the shore.
Wind and waves will spread the sand along the coast, making it stronger.
So Mother Nature is lending us a helping hand in reinforcing our coastline.
With this approach, the Netherlands is a front runner.
The Netherlands is an ambitious and open-minded partner in water expertise.
We find it of the utmost importance to share our experience with other low-lying delta’s.
I myself have fond memories of my visit to Vietnam, in March this year.
We are also co-operating with Bangladesh, Indonesia, the United States and many other countries.
Our preferred way is to bring together all necessary disciplines.
Joining forces between companies, knowledge institutes and public authorities.
Ladies and gentlemen, this conference offers an excellent opportunity to exchange new ideas en to explore new opportunities and new coalitions.
I do hope you will also be able to see a bit more of our low-lying delta country.
I wish you all a pleasant stay and an inspiring conference.
Thank you.