IIWW 2026: India and Netherlands Strengthen Strategic Partnership in Water Sector

Key Highlights:

• India and the Netherlands held a bilateral meeting on the Strategic Partnership on Water during the 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• The meeting, co-chaired by Union Minister for Jal Shakti and Netherlands' Vice Minister, focused on strengthening cooperation for the Kalpasar Project in Gujarat.
• Two Tripartite Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed to facilitate cooperation for the Kalpasar Project.
• The MoUs involve the Central Water Commission (CWC), Kalpasar Department (Government of Gujarat), and Dutch institutions Deltares and TU Delft.
• The Kalpasar Project aims to create a freshwater reservoir using runoff from the Sabarmati, Mahi, and Dhadhar rivers, supplemented by Narmada water.
• This collaboration follows a Letter of Intent for technical cooperation signed in May 2026 during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the Netherlands.

Detailed Insights:

• The bilateral engagement provided an opportunity to review and strengthen India–Netherlands cooperation in the water sector.
• The MoUs will facilitate technical collaboration through sharing Dutch expertise and advanced engineering practices for the project's implementation.
• Dutch insights will cover areas such as flood protection, coastal infrastructure, hydraulic modelling, sluice and pumping systems, and dyke technologies.
• The Kalpasar Project draws useful parallels with the Afsluitdijk in the Netherlands in terms of engineering, water management, and coastal infrastructure.
• Deltares and TU Delft will contribute expertise in technical review, hydraulic and hydrological modelling, climate resilience, and capacity building.
• The cooperation also emphasizes sharing lessons learned, particularly concerning ecology and fish migration.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Strategic Partnership on Water: A bilateral framework for India and the Netherlands to collaborate on water management and related technologies.
• Kalpasar Project: A large-scale multi-purpose project in Gujarat to build a freshwater reservoir in the Gulf of Khambhat.
• Central Water Commission (CWC): India's premier technical organization in the field of water resources, providing expertise for planning and development.
• Deltares: An independent institute for applied research in water and subsurface, based in the Netherlands.