Water management Pioneers in international business.

Water management

Pioneers in international business


From the polder...


to worldwide water management

Water research


Flood barrier


Flood barrier


Flood barrier


Maintenance of waterways






Water houses


Dikes at Flushing


Pioneers in International Business



Water management

Facts about the Netherlands

• 1/3 of the country is below sea level (8m people)

• Without dikes and dunes, 66% of the country would be flooded

• 1000 years of water management experience

• First democratic institutions were water boards, established in 1200 AD

• Delta Works: world's largest flood protection project

• Water supply and sanitation coverage nearly 100%

• High-tech systems of water supply and waste-water treatment, largely publicly owned


Water expertise in the Netherlands:

1. Water management

2. Water supply & sanitation


1. Water management

Areas of Dutch expertise are:

• Hydraulic engineering

• River basin management (including spatial planning & nature development)

• Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM)

• Development co-operation

• Institutional development


Water management in the future

• Climate change and growing population density require an innovative approach to water management

• Issue is no longer the fight against water but living with water

• Constant battles against the sea and rivers have forced the Dutch to study and manage the rivers and coast:

– Dutch river basin management expertise

– Dutch coastal management expertise


Water management in the future

• Development of a broad range of new and innovative concepts and approaches

• Acknowledgement of the benefits for society of natural processes in wetland ecosystems

• Idea of multifunctional use of space, a scarce commodity in the Netherlands, is attracting more attention

– Dutch expertise in these new, integral approaches could be very useful in other countries as well


1. Water management and 2. Water supply & sanitation expertise – the sector

• A unique combination of private sector, public sector, research organizations and NGOs working as partners for water

– Dutch companies specializing in hydraulic engineering or drinking water supply and purification apply much of their technological expertise and implementing skill in an international setting

• Dutch water management expertise already being used for the Yellow River, the Volga, Lake Aral, the Danube, the Mekong, the Pantanal, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Logone and St. Petersburg

• Dutch water supply & sanitation expertise applied in a range of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa


1. Water management - the private sector

Hydraulic engineering industry and construction firms

• Leading in dredging technology with largest vessels in the world

• controls 50% of the world dredging market

• Wide experience in land reclamation, airport island and port construction

• Water works, storm surge barriers, innovative flexible dike designs

• Design and maintenance of waterways for maritime and riverine transport

• Design and application of early warning systems (flooding, pollution, etc.)


2. Water supply & sanitation sector – the private sector

• Mostly SMEs; no multinationals

• A number of larger, internationally active engineering firms with considerable know-how in the sector

• In certain niches, Dutch companies play an important innovative role

• High level of know-how available at universities and research institutes


Water sector

For information on the Dutch water sector, see the NWP www.nwp.nl

• The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) is an independent body set up jointly by the Dutch private and public sectors to act as a national coordination and information point for water activities overseas.

• It is a single contact point for people in other countries seeking information on the Dutch water sector.

• It aligns the interests of the Dutch private and public sectors with international water issues.

• It supports the collective interests of the Netherlands within the international water community.

Pioneers in international businessPioneers in International Business


Water management Pioneers in international business.

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