Delta Commissioner welcomes Indonesian delegation
On Tuesday 18 March, Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken gave a presentation on the Dutch Delta Programme to kick off the visit by the Director of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia, Mr Eko Rudianto.
The presentation demonstrated that building with nature is an effective way to manage our coast and rivers. It also outlined the paradigm shift from solid dams and dikes to the integrated approach of building with nature, in which water safety goes hand in hand with spatial issues, as an effective solution. The underlying principle of the Delta Programme is to work to prevent disasters rather than to respond afterwards. With the know-how that is available within the Dutch water sector, the short-term issues will be linked to these new insights, which will bring them into line with the efforts focused on disaster prevention.
Mr Eko Rudianto expressed his enthusiasm about the concept of working with nature, which constitutes an innovative approach in Indonesia. The Indonesian Ministry is working on the implementation of a pilot project along the northern coast of Java with the assistance of Deltares and Wetlands International.