© Frans Lemmens
The World Economic Forum lists water crises as the #1 threat in terms of impact on the global economy. Failure to adapt to climate change also ranks high in the top 10 threats in terms of both frequency of occurrence and impact. Half of the world's population currently lives in deltas, coastal and river areas. This percentage is expected to rise to 70% in 2050. Deltas have enormous potential but are also vulnerable at the same time.

Leading “Water Experts”

The Netherlands and water are inextricably linked. If the Netherlands didn’t protect itself from water, more than a third of the country would be submerged. The water policy in the Netherlands is focused on providing a high quality, sustainable and resilient infrastructure through cooperation around the world. The Dutch have managed many global water projects including help after the flooding in New Orleans, reclaiming land in Singapore from the sea and constructing the palm shaped islands on the coast in Dubai.

Ongoing international activities include help to obtain access to clean drinking water and better sanitation systems as well as providing education on hygiene. Dutch innovations in drinking water, industrial water and the purification plus reuse of wastewater are at the highest level and offer worldwide solutions for the growing water challenges.

Living in a challenging and vulnerable environment spurs innovation and cooperation. In our case, this especially comes to life in Dutch water management. By constantly adapting our approach to water over decades, we have gained an advantage and we want to share our knowledge and skills internationally.

Meet Erick

Find out how Erick van de Scheur, Director of Watertaxi Rotterdam, connects the city over water and supports sustainability now & in the future. Read more

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