India Netherlands Strengthen Water Partnership With 2 MoUs

India and the Netherlands sign two MoUs to advance technical cooperation and capacity building for Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project, covering hydraulic modelling, coastal engineering, climate resilience, training and knowledge exchange.

India and the Netherlands have strengthened their cooperation in water management with the signing of two tripartite Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) focused on the technical advancement and capacity building of Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project. The agreements were signed on September 24, 2026, during the 9th India International Water Week in New Delhi.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil and Dutch Vice Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management Jaap Slootmaker chaired a bilateral meeting on the Strategic Partnership on Water at Bharat Mandapam. The discussions focused on expanding India-Netherlands cooperation in water management and applying Dutch technical expertise to the Kalpasar Project.

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Under the two MoUs, the Central Water Commission and the Kalpasar Department of the Government of Gujarat will collaborate with Dutch institutions Deltares and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The agreements are intended to support technical cooperation, project planning, engineering expertise and capacity building.

The collaboration with Deltares will cover technical reviews, hydraulic and hydrological modelling, coastal and structural engineering, climate resilience, digital applications, knowledge transfer and capacity building. TU Delft will contribute to cooperation in areas including training and institutional capacity development.

The Kalpasar Project envisages the construction of a dam across the Gulf of Khambhat to create a large coastal freshwater reservoir. According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the project is expected to augment freshwater availability in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region and support irrigation and other identified uses. The proposed infrastructure also includes a highway-cum-rail corridor across the Gulf of Khambhat.

The latest agreements build on a Letter of Intent signed by India and the Netherlands in May 2026 for technical cooperation on the Kalpasar Project. The two countries had agreed to deepen water sector cooperation as part of their Strategic Partnership, which was elevated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands.

Dutch expertise in flood protection, coastal infrastructure, hydraulic modelling, sluice and pumping systems, dyke technologies and ecological solutions is expected to contribute to the technical discussions. Indian officials also studied aspects of the Netherlands’ Afsluitdijk during a delegation visit in July 2026.

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The two sides are also exploring cooperation on ecological considerations, including lessons related to water management and fish migration. The MoUs provide a framework for continued technical exchanges and knowledge sharing as India and the Netherlands expand their strategic partnership in water management.