Gandhinagar, May 17 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday described the technical cooperation agreement between India and the Netherlands on the Kalpasar Project as a major step towards strengthening water management and climate-resilient infrastructure, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands and his review of the Afsluitdijk Dam.

In a post on social media platform X, Patel said: “PM Modi’s visit to the iconic Afsluitdijk along with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten marked an important step towards deepening India-Netherlands cooperation in water management, climate resilience and sustainable infrastructure.”

During the visit, India’s Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management exchanged a Letter of Intent (LoI) for technical cooperation on Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project.

Patel termed the agreement “a landmark development” and said: “The collaboration would open new possibilities for advanced hydraulic engineering, freshwater conservation, flood management and integrated infrastructure development in Gujarat.”

The Chief Minister said the Afsluitdijk, a 32-km-long Dutch dam regarded globally as a benchmark in water engineering, had transformed a saline gulf into a massive freshwater reservoir through long-term planning and innovation.

“The Afsluitdijk stands as a global benchmark in water engineering, transforming challenges into opportunities through innovation and long-term vision,” Patel said.

He emphasised that Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project similarly envisioned the creation of a massive freshwater reservoir across the Gulf of Khambhat with long-term benefits for irrigation, water security, tidal energy generation, connectivity and regional growth.

“The Kalpasar Project aims to construct a large freshwater reservoir and dam near the Gulf of Khambhat while also linking Saurashtra with South Gujarat through improved transport connectivity,” officials further added.

Government sources said the Netherlands would extend technical expertise and management experience gained from more than 90 years of operating and maintaining the Afsluitdijk project.

The Dutch model is considered significant for studying hydraulic engineering systems, flood control mechanisms and innovative energy applications linked to large-scale water infrastructure.

The state government also referred to discussions held earlier this year during the visit of the Netherlands Ambassador Marisa Gerards to Gujarat on March 30.

During her meeting with Patel, discussions were held regarding the Kalpasar scheme, including the formation of an “Indo-Dutch” expert group and strengthening government-to-government cooperation on the project.

Patel thanked PM Modi for “continuously bringing global expertise, futuristic technologies and transformative partnerships to accelerate Bharat’s development journey”.

–IANS

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