3 min readNew DelhiMay 18, 2026 01:37 AM IST
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the iconic Dutch water management project Afsluitdijk – a 32-km dam and causeway.
Afsluitdijk is considered a global benchmark in flood control and land reclamation, protecting large parts of the Netherlands from the North Sea while enabling freshwater storage.
Modi was accompanied by Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten. The visit came at a time when both the countries have signed Letter of Intent with regards to the Kalpasar Project in Gujarat. The Letter of Intent was signed between the Jal Shakti Ministry and the Netherlands’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for technical cooperation.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The visit underscored the shared commitment of both nations to innovative water management solutions, climate resilience, and sustainable infrastructure.”
“The visit to the dam put a spotlight on the parallels between the Afsluitdijk and India’s ambitious Kalpasar project in the state of Gujarat. The Kalpasar project aims to create a freshwater reservoir across the Gulf of Khambhat, integrating tidal power generation, irrigation, and transportation infrastructure. In this regard, the two sides welcomed the signing of the Letter of Intent between Ministry of Jal Shakti of India and Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands for technical cooperation on the Kalpasar project,” it said.
“The two leaders noted that Dutch expertise in hydraulic engineering and India’s scale of implementation present opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships. The visit reaffirms the India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership on Water, highlighting shared commitment to innovation and sustainability.”
In a post on the X, Prime Minister Modi said: “An area in which the Netherlands has done pioneering work is water resources. There is a lot the entire global community can learn from them…We are working to bring modern technology to India aimed at helping in irrigation, flood control and expanding the inland waterway network.”
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The Netherlands Prime Minister also said that his country is looking forward to deepen cooperation Water sector. “If there’s one thing the Netherlands excels at, it is dealing with water. India has shown considerable interest in our expertise in the field of water management. We’re looking to deepen our cooperation in this area,” Jetten posted on X.
