PM Modi Visits Afsluitdijk Dam, Boosts India-Netherlands Water Pact

India and Netherlands took a significant leap in water management cooperation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the iconic Afsluitdijk, the world-renowned 32-kilometre long flood-control dam and causeway in The Netherlands on Sunday. During the visit, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, emphasized the increased cooperation between the two countries in the field of climate resilience, hydraulic engineering, flood control, sustainable infrastructure and development of the inland waterway.

he visit coincided with the signing of a mega infrastructure project, the Kalpasar Project of Gujarat, between India and the Netherlands - a Letter of Intent (LoI) for technical cooperation in developing the project, which is intended to build a huge freshwater reservoir at the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat and combine tidal power generation, irrigation, transport connectivity and water conservation systems.

• PM Modi visited Afsluitdijk with Dutch PM Rob Jetten to deepen India-Netherlands water management cooperation ties.
• India and Netherlands signed Kalpasar project pact to advance climate resilience and sustainable infrastructure collaboration.

Afsluitdijk Visit Highlights Strategic Water Collaboration

The visit highlighted the mutual interest of both countries in finding innovative solutions for water management and building climate-resilient infrastructure, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India.

The Afsluitdijk, one of the greatest achievements in hydraulic engineering and flood protection, has been a model for high-level hydraulic engineering and flood protection for a long time. It has been inspiring other water sustainability initiatives across the world and now serves as a good technical benchmark for India's ambitious water infrastructure programme on a much larger scale.

The MEA highlighted the similarities between the Dutch project and India's proposed Kalpasar initiative, which will be a transformative project for the water ecosystem in Gujarat with a focus on both integrated water storage and energy generation.

PM Modi Highlights Technology-Driven Water Transformation

Speaking during the visit, Prime Minister Modi emphasised India’s focus on using modern technology to strengthen national water security and sustainable infrastructure.

“An area in which the Netherlands has done pioneering work is water resources. There is a lot the entire global community can learn from them. We are working to bring modern technology to India aimed at helping in irrigation, flood control, and expanding the inland waterway network,” PM Narendra Modi said.

He also noted that India's partnership with the Dutch would help speed up its journey towards creating future-proof water infrastructure solutions that can meet the growing climate challenges.

The Prime Minister's speech closely follows India's overall efforts to transform water infrastructure for smartness in the country, such as river linking projects, flood control measures, and water systems connected to clean energy.

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Kalpasar Project Receives Global Technical Support

The Letter of Intent signed between the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, and Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Government of The Netherlands, pledges to deepen technical cooperation on the Kalpasar Project, which is India's most comprehensive long-term infrastructure initiative.

The project will involve the construction of a reservoir for freshwater by damming parts of the Gulf of Khambhat, which could impact the availability of irrigation water, renewable energy production, and regional supply chains in western India.

During the meeting, the two leaders observed the India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership on Water and the opportunities for cooperation in the field, which includes the exchange of knowledge and experience in hydraulic engineering, and noted that the visit was an opportunity to further strengthen these ties.

The MEA stated: "The visit reaffirms the commitment of the two governments to the Strategic Partnership on Water and the opportunities for joint cooperation, including in the field of hydraulic engineering, where both countries have a strong interest in sharing their knowledge and experience."

Dutch Leadership Signals Deeper Cooperation

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten also expressed his desire for greater collaboration between the two countries in this area, emphasizing the Netherlands' role in water engineering.

“If there’s one thing the Netherlands excels at, it is dealing with water. India has been very interested in our experience working with water resources and we are keen to increase our engagement with them,” Jetten wrote on X.

His remarks reflect the Netherlands’ strategic interest in partnering with India on large-scale climate adaptation and sustainable engineering solutions.