The Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Environment Melanie Schultz van Haegen will hand over the Dutch design Mekong Delta Plan to the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai during a visit to Vietnam from 16 to 18 December, was announced by the Dutch government on Thursday.
For the first time the Dutch Delta Plan is exported. The Dutch Delta Program is a continuing effort to protect the country against the sea through a series of construction projects. It started in 1953 after the North Sea flood disaster.
On February 1, 1953, a combination of high spring tide and storm led to a flood disaster in the Netherlands. The dikes succumbed at 90 places, large areas were completely flooded, with a total of 1,836 people killed in the Netherlands, mainly in the province of Zeeland.
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The country as a whole and especially the Mekong Delta has encountered floods, droughts and typhoons frequently. In order to control the effects of water-related natural hazards a water management plan was needed.
The Mekong Delta Plan was developed after close collaboration between the Dutch and Vietnamese government. "It provides a long- term vision and recommendations for a sustainable and safe development of the Mekong Delta," states the Dutch government.
The official handover of the Mekong Delta Plan will take place during the third Vietnam-Netherlands Intergovernmental Committee on climate change adaptation and water management in Hanoi. The annual meeting, chaired by Minister Schultz and Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, will also discuss the Strategic Partnership Arrangement that the two countries signed in 2010.
In addition, the founding agreement of center Vinwater, the Vietnam Netherlands Center for Water and Environment, will be signed. The science and technology institute is a joint venture between the TU Delft University of Technology and the Hanoi Water Resources University.
