Politics
Netherlands sets global standard in flood defence and water management
The Netherlands has emerged as a world leader in protecting land from rising waters, investing up to 1.3 billion euros each year to maintain an extensive system of dikes, polders, canals, windmills, concrete barriers and embankments that keep floods at bay, The News reported citing a research.
Moreover, artificial dwelling hills or Terpins have also been built to increase the land elevation.
Similar to Bangladesh, the Netherlands has also created a scheme that alerts citizens of possible floods 24 hours before the otherwise uncontrollable waters hit the country.
The anti-flood system they have built over decades is on a scale unmatched anywhere else in the world.
The Dutch have also built a giant sea gate guarding the port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, and a c rucial hub for industries of all sorts.
A media house maintained: “The gate has two curved arms; each as tall and twice as heavy as the Eiffel Tower. When needed, they swing out into the water to lock together and sink to the bottom, forming a 22-meter-high wall against the sea. The barrier is one of the largest moving structures on Earth; its two ball-and-socket joints, anchored in the embankment on either side of the canal, weigh 680 tonnes each.”
From 1962 until 2004, the 31,500-acre Rotterdam was the world’s busiest port by annual cargo tonnage. It was overtaken first in 2004 by the port of Singapore, and later by Shanghai and other very large Chinese seaports.
In May 2019, global investors had enthusiastically embraced a national Netherlands 5.98 billion-Euro Green Bond designed to fund projects to cope with current and future climate change impacts and an advanced low-carbon economy.
Much of the bond focused on using coastal and river ecosystems as a safeguard for negative climate impacts such as high flood risk.
Investors responded to the bond immediately, oversubscribing the issuance by more than 15.2 billion Euros!
Although global warming can overwhelm the measures the Netherlands has taken to control floods, the risk of these water-related disasters has been reduced from once every 100 years to once every 1,250 years.
The region has a long history of devastating floods that continually reshape the land. For more than 1,000 years the residents of this region have devised ways to reclaim land from encroachment by the sea.
The Rhine, Meuse and Schelde are Holland’s three chief rivers.
The densely-populated Netherlands or Holland is known for its low elevation and approximately two-thirds of its area is vulnerable to flooding.
While 15 million people in the Netherlands live below the sea level, the river Rhine and its tributaries, the Meuse and the Mosel, have often attacked Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg.
The first river dikes had appeared near the river mouths in the 11th century, where incursions from the sea added to the danger from high water levels on the river.
The 17th and 18th centuries were a period of many infamous river floods resulting in much loss of life. They were often caused by ice dams blocking the river. Land reclamation works, large willow plantations and building in the winter bed of the river all worsened the problem.
The “Encyclopedia Britannica” states: “The first Dutch food in 1287 had caused more than 50,000 casualties. A significant percentage of the country’s population perished in the disaster, and it has been rated as one of the most destructive floods in recorded history. Called the St Lucia flood, this event also created direct sea access for the village of Amsterdam, allowing its development into a major port city.”
The 1421 floods had killed up to 10,000 people.
In more recent history, February 1953 had seen one of the biggest natural disasters hitting the Netherlands ever, killing 2400 humans.
Around 770 square miles of southern Holland were inundated, forcing tens of thousands to flee.
Many were overtaken by the icy waters as more and more flood walls failed. The storm also devastated parts of England, Belgium and Germany.
Urbanisation is one of the major causes of flooding in Netherlands.
The urban population here accounts for 82.9% of the total population. A lot of buildings, roads, and cities have thus been built over the course of centuries, leading to destruction of vegetation, hence reducing the interception of rainfall when a storm is to occur.
Additionally, the excessive use of tar and cement to pave roads and sidewalks inhibit water from infiltrating the soil, which increases the chances of surface runoff.
These artificial structures are impermeable, and water is forced to flow back into the ocean through surface runoff, increasing the peak discharge in the area. Due to this, the lag time for water to flow back into the ocean has decreased, increasing the chances of flooding.
Due to land reclamation, areas close to the shoreline become more prone to coastal waves. Erosion takes place resultantly and the fast-sinking land leads to floods.
And then for the sake of urbanisation and providing land for agriculture and ploughing, deforestation has taken place.
Being the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products, agriculture plays an immense role in the Netherlands’ economy. Presently, over 70% of the country’s land is used for agricultural purposes.
The Guardian reported that the low-lying Netherlands has been fighting back water for more than 1,000 years, when farmers built the first dykes.
“Windmills have also been pumping the stuff off the land since the 14th century. One of the most densely populated countries on the planet, 60% of the Netherlands is vulnerable to flooding, and its peat-rich agricultural soil is subsiding even as climate change is raising sea levels. The country’s universities are producing some of the world’s best water engineers and managers and it is exporting its expertise abroad; the Dutch government has advised on water governance projects in China, Africa and Australia,” the report stated.
Meanwhile, The British newspaper revealed “there are no financial packages for people who have to move.”
It quoted a government official as saying: “They get the market value of their house and that is all. We will help them find another place, but not financially. The only thing we do is to make sure that they do not lose money.”
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that there should be no war with Pakistan, stressing that he had helped avert several conflicts through diplomacy and trade pressure.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during Diwali celebrations, Trump extended his “warmest wishes to the people of India” and said he had “just spoken to your Prime Minister today.” He described the conversation as “great” and said, “We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that.”
Trump added that they also discussed avoiding conflict, saying, “Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan.” He noted the role of commerce in easing tensions: “The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that.”
The US president emphasised the outcome, saying, “And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing.” He concluded by praising Modi personally: “He’s a great person, and he’s become a great friend of mine over the years.”
The US president claimed he had prevented eight wars so far through what he described as “deals and trade,” including one between Pakistan and India.
“During the Pakistan-India conflict, seven planes were shot down,” Trump said. “I called both countries and told them that if they went to war, the United States would stop trading with them. Within 24 hours, they called back and said they didn’t want to fight.”
Trump has previously taken credit on several occasions for helping defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since independence and remain at odds over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off criticism over the demolition of part of the White House to build a new ballroom, saying the sound of the construction work was “music to my ears.”
Democrats have accused the Republican president of failing to respect the presidential mansion, after pictures emerged of excavators tearing off the facade of the East Wing of the building.
As AFP journalists observed the demolition continue on Tuesday, Democrats also criticised him for pushing ahead with a $ 250 million plan. At the same time, Americans face a government shutdown and a high cost of living.
But the 79-year-old property mogul insisted that the work needed to be done, and said that taxpayers would not pay for any of it.
The US president has said that he is partly funding work on the giant ballroom, while private and corporate donors will cover the rest.
Last week, Trump hosted a glitzy dinner for donors with guests including several top US tech firms, but the White House has not released a list yet or given any figures.
The White House rejected what it called “pearl-clutching” from critics.
“In the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House,” it said in a statement.
It called the ballroom a “bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and renovations from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence.”
The White House also pointed out a series of works done by previous presidents — including what it said was President Barack Obama upgrading the tennis court into a full basketball court.
Trump has launched a major makeover of the White House in his second term, including paving over the Rose Garden where he hosted the Republican senators.
Democrats lashed out at Trump over the demolition work, comparing it to his own radical efforts to reshape the federal government and target his political opponents.
“The demolition of the East Wing feels very symbolic of what Trump is doing to our democracy,” Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono said on X. “He’ll lie about protecting it, then destroy it right in front of your face.”
Senior Senator Elizabeth Warren said that while Americans faced a “skyrocketing” cost of living, Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom.”
- Move follows Taliban FM Muttaqi’s recent visit to New Delhi.
- Jaishankar earlier announced to restore full diplomatic status.
- New Delhi aims to expand bilateral engagement, cooperation.
India has “reopened” its embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul after four years, as diplomatic relations between both countries saw a significant expansion following Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent visit to New Delhi.
This development came after Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced earlier this month that New Delhi would reopen its embassy in Kabul.
India had closed its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban seized power following the withdrawal of US-led Nato forces in 2021, but opened a small mission a year later to facilitate trade, medical support, and humanitarian aid.
In a statement, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said: “In keeping with the decision announced during the recent visit of the Afghan Foreign Minister to India, the government is restoring the status of the Technical Mission of India in Kabul to that of Embassy of India in Afghanistan with immediate effect.”
“This decision underscores India’s resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest.”
“The Embassy of India in Kabul will further augment India’s contribution to Afghanistan’s comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in keeping with the priorities and aspirations of Afghan society,” it concluded.
About a dozen countries, including Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, and Turkiye, have embassies operating in Kabul, although Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban regime.
Muttaqi had paid a six-day visit to India to boost ties with New Delhi earlier this month.
Analysts said the trip highlights the Taliban regime’s efforts to expand engagement with regional powers in a quest for economic relations and eventual diplomatic recognition.
India and Afghanistan have historically had friendly ties, but New Delhi does not recognise the Taliban regime.
According to the Western diplomats, the Taliban administration’s path to recognition is being stalled by its curbs on women.
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