15th National Delta Congress in Almere: ‘Inevitable choices on the table’

What is needed to make the Netherlands resilient to climate change? How do we weigh the interests of different sectors and of current and future generations? Which choices do we have to make now and what are the obstacles? These and other questions were addressed on November 14 during the 15th National Delta Congress.

Around 1,100 professionals from governments, knowledge institutions, social organisations and companies gathered at a waterfront venue: the Kunstlinie in Almere. A sense of urgency was felt from the start. “There are inevitable choices to make,” said Delta Commissioner Co Verdaas. “We have to be open about the various interests. The good news is that no one is looking away anymore.”

Co Verdaas
Image: ©Deltaprogramma

Moving forward together

Congress facilitator Anouschka Laheij said Flevoland is a fitting place for this 15th Delta Congress: “A place where every drop of water is managed and where people live on the seabed. But from managing and controlling the water we are moving to connecting and living with the water.” In this she was referring to spoken-word artist MYSTIC, who had opened the conference saying: “Almere, my city, my heart, my land / First it was just water, some blue sky and sand.”

Barry Madlener, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, praised the broad representation from government, science and business. At the same time, he underlined the different interests at play, which sometimes clash: “Housing, agriculture, ‘room for the river’.... the biggest challenge is making the right choices together and in harmony.” That is quite a task, said the minister, but he remained positive: “We are a ‘polder country’ – a country of compromises – but in the right way. We talk, aim to understand each other’s interests, and then we move forward together.”

Open discussion

The same point was made by Delta Commissioner Co Verdaas: “If you work as a team and understand each other well, you can achieve great things together.” He reflected on his first year as Delta Commissioner and looked ahead to the future. “We are now the safest delta in the world, but our challenges are increasing substantially and they are also piling up.”

The way forward is an open discussion in which parties are honest about their interests, he emphasised. Verdaas: “Let’s work on a different narrative. We should invite people to contribute to a future-proof delta. After all, we all share the same mission: to bring a climate-vital Netherlands closer.”

Ambassadors for the future

Mare de Wit, ‘Ambassador for the Future’ and consultant at the Department of Public Works, spoke with Rogier van der Sande, president of the Union of Water Boards. “Our generation acts with the best of intentions,” Van der Sande said. “But how do we know if what we’re currently doing is really best for the future?” De Wit: “The tricky thing is: this can't measured, nor do we attach any timelines to it. Do we want to do what’s best for our country 50 years, 100 years, or 300 years from now?”

In fact we are all ambassadors for the future, as De Wit argued. Van der Sande: “A nice thought-experiment is to imagine how your grandchildren would rate your work.” It is a matter of taking a step back and asking yourself what you are leaving behind, De Wit said. She suggested that more organisations appoint their own ambassador for the future. “Start working on the future now. Phrase it in writing,” she said.

Ray of Sunshine

An annual tradition at the Delta Congress is the presentation of the ‘Ray of Sunshine’, the award for an innovative and inspiring project of the Delta Programme. This year, three initiatives were nominated in which water and spatial solutions come together in an exemplary way. The three nominees were Climate Farmers, VPDelta+ and ‘Every drop into the ground’. Unlike in previous years, voting was done in real-time, in the plenary hall and online. The 2024 winner was ‘Every drop into the ground’, a programme of the Rhine and IJssel Water Board that aims to retain rainwater in the soil for as long as possible.

Delta Movie

The Delta Congress also saw the première of the new Delta Movie, which centred on the water tasks of Flevoland Province and Lake IJsselmeer. Flevoland is dealing with subsidence, poor water quality and water shortages. For this reason, the design of the new Almere Pampus district incorporates a future-proof water system. Around the IJsselmeer, which supplies one-third of the Netherlands with fresh water, the reinforcement of the IJsselmeer dike is combined with measures for nature and recreation. “If we do this right, we can unite many functions: water safety, water quality, tourism and ecology – and at a lower cost as well,” said Teun Wendt of the Zuiderzeeland Water Board.

Water management in Flanders

Cathy Berx, governor of the Flemish province of Antwerp, addressed the problems of flooding and drought in Belgium over the past five years. “Any policy should start with a good water balance,” she said, “hence with an objectification of the situation.” Berx outlined the measures Flanders is taking to economise on water use, such as higher rates for large users of tap water, the obligation to collect rainwater, and permanent bans on water extraction around natural areas. These measures may be painful, but may also be of interest to the Netherlands. Berx also called for more cooperation between Flanders and the Netherlands.

Parallel sessions and workshops

The afternoon featured various parallel sessions and workshops, including on choices for the freshwater strategy, connecting water and space, ‘The Netherlands AAA climate-proof, also in 100 years’, and the renewed Room for the River programme. During the closing drinks, participants continued their discussions informally.