Dutch Expertise, Indian Scale: A Strategic Convergence On Water Management
Integrated water resources management becomes central to India–Netherlands ties as both countries respond to climate stress and growing urban water challenges
Published : May 17, 2026 at 7:11 PM IST
New Delhi: When India and the Netherlands agreed to renew and expand their Strategic Partnership on Water, it signalled far more than a routine extension of a technical cooperation programme.
For New Delhi, the partnership offers access to some of the world’s most advanced expertise in flood control, delta management and urban water resilience. For The Hague, it provides a chance to apply decades of water engineering excellence to one of the world’s most complex and ambitious river basin and coastal management landscapes — India.
According to the ‘Roadmap of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership (2026-2030)’ issued following a bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten held in The Hague on Saturday, India and the Netherlands expressed the shared ambition to renew the Strategic Partnership on Water signed in March 2022 and running until March 2027 and review its progress through the Ministerial Joint Working Group on Water.
Both sides agreed to enhance collaboration in integrated water resources management, integrated coastal zone management, urban water management, flood resilience, river basin management and sustainable water quality and availability in the Ganga Basin; leverage the Centre of Excellence on Water with National Mission for Clean Ganga, to support its ongoing work by exchanging knowledge and expertise, building capacity and promoting startups; support the creation of urban river management plans for the agreed cities in India by promoting and integrating the Urban River Management Planning and ‘Water as Leverage’ approach in its framework and stimulate application through projects, thereby fulfilling the Water Action Agenda joint commitment; and support the development and enhancement of disaster-resilient urban water infrastructure in India and globally through capacity building initiatives led by the India-led Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
“The two leaders noted the progress made under the Strategic Partnership on water in building upon the synergies between the water-related requirements of India and the expertise and experience of the Netherlands,” a separate joint statement issued following the meeting reads.
On Sunday, Modi, accompanied by Jetten, visited the iconic Dutch water management structure, the Afsluitdijk.
“The visit underscored the shared commitment of both nations to innovative water management solutions, climate resilience, and sustainable infrastructure,” the External Affairs Ministry stated in a press release.
“The Afsluitdijk, a 32-kilometre-long dam and causeway, is a global benchmark in flood control and land reclamation, protecting large parts of the Netherlands from the North Sea while enabling freshwater storage.”
The release further stated that the visit to the dam put a spotlight on the parallels between the Afsluitdijk and India’s ambitious Kalpasar project in Gujarat.
The Kalpasar project aims to create a freshwater reservoir across the Gulf of Khambhat, integrating tidal power generation, irrigation, and transportation infrastructure.
Earlier, on Saturday, in a special media briefing in The Hague following the bilateral summit, Sibi George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, described the letter of intent for technical cooperation on the Kalpasar as a big outcome. “As you are aware, this project is envisaged as a multi-purpose megawater project aimed at creating a fresh water subway contributing to water and food security in the Saurashtra region of India. The two sides already share a strong collaboration in the water sector and have a strategic partnership on water.”
According to the press release issued on Sunday by the Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders noted that Dutch expertise in hydraulic engineering and India’s scale of implementation present opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The visit reaffirms the India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership on Water, highlighting shared commitment to innovation and sustainability,” it stated.
The Netherlands is globally recognised for its world-class water governance, engineering prowess, and experience in managing challenges associated with flood risk, sea-level rise, and delta systems. Dutch institutions — from government bodies like the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to research hubs and engineering firms — have developed advanced frameworks in areas such as flood risk mitigation, delta planning and coastal resilience, urban water systems, water quality monitoring, and climate adaptation strategies.
India, with its vast and diverse hydrological systems — from the snow-fed Himalayan rivers to expansive coastal plains and drought-prone regions — brings deep contextual insight into large-scale river basins, water demand management, and socio-economic dimensions of water sustainability.
Collaboration thus pairs Dutch technical excellence with India’s experience in managing complex, multi-stakeholder water ecosystems.
The stress on water resources cooperation in the Strategic Partnership Roadmap is a holistic approach that optimises water use across sectors like agriculture, industry, cities and environment while maintaining ecosystem health.
This encourages cross-sectoral planning to balance economic growth with ecological sustainability, promotes efficient water allocation, reducing competition among users, and strengthens institutional capacity for data-driven decision-making and participatory governance
For India, where water governance is shaped by federal, state, and local systems, access to Dutch expertise in stakeholder integration and institutional coordination can help enhance national and regional planning.
The Netherlands, with cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam that have prospered below sea level, has developed world-leading urban water management systems, including sustainable urban drainage, storm water retention and reuse, flood-safe urban design, and Smart water grids and monitoring technologies.
“The genius of the Netherlands in managing its water resources is world known,” Gulshan Sachdeva, Professor at the Centre for European Studies in the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, told ETV Bharat. “The Netherlands is situated in such a manner that, you know, like when due to climate change many of the countries are under, what you say, threat that they could be submerged in water. So, that is the situation the Netherlands has been facing for a very long time. Some of the areas within the Netherlands actually could have been submerged in sea if they would not have managed their resources in a very efficient manner.”
Sachdeva highlighted the fact that in Amsterdam, there are many canals that are being used for transport.
“Then, there are ports,” he said. “Then there is the Rotterdam port, a huge port. A lot of our trade to Europe actually is connected via the Rotterdam port.”
Uttam Kumar Sinha, Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and an expert on water resources management, described the Netherlands as an iconic country in terms of flood control and fresh water management, given its location.
“Large parts of that country are below the sea level,” Sinha said. “They are very engineering-oriented in managing water resources.”
He explained that Dutch engineers are very good at water storage techniques.
“They have a lot of inland waterways,” Sinha said. “With Europe, we focus on a couple of things: flood control and water storage. They also have a very advanced irrigation system.”
Referring to Modi’s visit to the Afsluitdijk project on Sunday, he said that there are good lessons for India to learn from this project.
To sum up, the renewed India-Netherlands strategic collaboration on water resources management reflects a shared vision for resilient, inclusive and climate-adaptive water systems. By integrating Dutch expertise with India’s ambitious development agenda, this partnership aims not only to tackle immediate water challenges but also to set global standards for cooperation in integrated water governance — benefitting millions of communities across both countries and contributing to a more sustainable and water-secure future.
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