Dutch Support of Bangaladesh River Delta Management

Dutch ministers Lilianne Ploumen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) and Melanie Schultz van Haegen (Infrastructure and the Environment) signed an agreement with the Bangladesh government and the World Bank Group, on the development of a financial strategy for investements in a more sustainable protection of Bangladesh's river delta

The strategy enables the World Bank to make a selection and prioritization in their project portfolio, contributing to the implementation of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 as being developed with support from the Dutch government.

On the occassion the Netherlands and Bangladesh also agreed on joining forces in the field of land reclamation and port development.

The signing ceremony of the letter of intent with minister for Water resources Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud of Bangladesh ( right on top photo ), took place in Dhaka on 16 June.

Dutch delta thinking

With nearly 400 rivers and the largest delta in the world, Bangladesh is hit by major floods every year, affecting two-third of the country. With the help of the Dutch government a strategy - a Delta plan - has been drawn up that provides Bangladesh with a comprehensive long-term vision on a safe and sustainable development of its river delta.

The World Bank wants to anchor its current and future investments in the water sector into this Delta plan and apply the principles of adaptive delta management, that is known as the Dutch delta approach.

Flexibility and robust decision making

The World Bank recognizes the importance of creating long-term scenarios for the Bangladesh delta, which allow a more holistic adaptive approach to delta management.

This adaptive approach combines adaption and flexibility to empower robust decisions based on a better understanding of future scenarios.

By making the approach flexible, the solutions are more likely to be resilient and limit over- or under- investment. This is particularly important if the impact of climate change is to be fully integrated into managing the delta.

Benefit to both countries

Minister Schultz: "At first sight, the water challenges in the Netherlands and Bangladesh are similar: low-lying, densely populated delta countries, with major rivers flowing out into the sea, comprehensive migration into the cities, a strategic position vis-à-vis the hinterland. The scale and the complexity of the issues are, however, not comparable. Nonetheless, more intensive collaboration will benefit both countries."

Its location, its immense poverty and population density make Bangladesh extremely vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, stated Johannes Zutt, World Bank country manager for Bangladesh. "The Delta Plan 2100 takes up the challenge of constructing a resilient, sustainable delta that will be of benefit to millions of people. Their lives and livelihoods depend on these unique surroundings."

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, the Bengal Finance Minister, endorses this: "A long-term vision, looking 50 to 100 years ahead, is important for the future of Bangladesh. The integrated approach should help protect, restore and improve our delta's ecosystem, while bolstering socio-economic development."

Source: Dutch Water Sector

Media

Taxonomy

• Strategic Planning
• River Basin management
• Governance & Planning