“Bangladesh is a treasure trove for water experts.” Last year, we spoke with Neeltje Kielen about her three-year tenure as the Delegated Representative for Water (DR) at the Dutch embassy in Bangladesh. With the first year behind her, it’s time for a check-in. How has she experienced this past year, what stands out to her and what are her plans for the coming year?

Expectations

“What I expected came true,” begins Neeltje. “As a water expert, you can truly lose your heart here; it’s like a vast treasure trove.” The combination of specialised expertise, the dynamic nature of the country and the transition to integrated collaborative partnerships “make me excited to go to work everyday”.

Meaningful collaboration and phasing out of development aid

The collaboration between the governments of the Netherlands and Bangladesh has a robust history, but with Bangladesh’s expected transition to a middle-income country by 2026, the development aid (ODA) is phasing out. “I am currently drafting a plan for the final extension of the SIDBP program (Support to the Implementation of the Bangladesh Delta Programme). This involves assessing current operations and planning our collaborative efforts in the years to come. It’s crucial to determine what the Netherlands should continue to support and what responsibilities Bangladesh can take on until the full transfer is achieved. This with a view of continued partnership also after the Netherlands has phased out ODA”, explains Neeltje.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way

The partnership, as it stands, is finite, yet there’s still a tremendous amount to be done. The delta of Bangladesh is as dynamic as its economy and population; the impacts of climate change are evident, and Bangladesh is keen to implement the Delta Programme effectively. Since the start of the Bangladesh Delta Programme, they’ve embraced this plan and are structurally working on its implementation. “While bureaucratic processes are often labelled as slow, I find this relative.”, Neeltje notes. In the Netherlands, for instance, the trajectory from the initiative to the actual opening of the Haringvliet sluice took nearly 20 years. The Dutch central government leads, but implementation is decentralised, involving entities such as RWS, water boards and municipalities. In contrast, Bangladesh centralises everything, which can be surprisingly efficient with the right approach.

Private investments for the water programme

It’s evident that Bangladesh cannot finance the water programme, accounting for 2.5% of its GDP alone. “Hence, we are now focusing on private investments. It would be incredible if we could achieve 20% of the total scope with the support of private entities. “I am currently collaborating with the World Bank’s Water Resource Group 2030 to explore how the Netherlands can contribute to water treatment plants for several economic zones in Bangladesh. The eagerness of the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority to partner, even to the extent of proposing an MoU with the Netherlands, is heartening. I am actively forging connections with Dutch companies and establishing frameworks for private investment. This world of business case-driven enterprises is completely new for me”, Neeltje explains.

Proud of the golden triangle

“My prior experience with the Delta Programme has been directly applicable to the Bangladesh Delta Programme. My experience in government allows me to understand and work well with the systems here, helping me make connections. In the ‘golden triangle,’ I’ve secured a position that enables swift action to enhance private sector involvement, knowledge exchange and further development of the Bangladesh Delta Programme. Reflecting on the past year, I am most proud of expanding this network”, Neeltje adds.

2024: PPP & continuing the SIDBP-programme

The forthcoming year is dedicated to refining the plan for Dutch governmental collaboration in Bangladesh for the final phase of the SIDBP program. Another goal for 2024 is to establish an initial Public-Private Partnership agreement (PPP) to explore its efficacy for Dutch company engagement in Bangladesh.

Still much to accomplish

With one year down and many more ahead, Neeltje continues her journey in Bangladesh as the Delegated Representative for Water at the Netherlands Embassy, focusing on Dutch company involvement and the Delta Programme execution. She’s exploring Bangladesh’s vast treasure trove of opportunities for water experts along the way.

Partners for Water Subsidy scheme

Partners for Water (PfW) keeps an eye on Neeltje’s journey. On 2 April, a Bangladesh Sector Meeting was organised to explore opportunities, challenges and collaboration prospects in operation and maintenance in Bangladesh. At this meeting, PfW asked for those with innovative plans to enhance water security in Bangladesh and globally, to apply for the PfW subsidy scheme.

With passion and enthusiasm, the results of bilateral collaborations between Indonesia and the Netherlands where shared with 52 participants from the Dutch and Indonesian water sector on Wednesday 14 December. Partners for Water, EcoShape, Invest International and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta elaborated about successful projects of 2022 and gave a sneak preview of what is to come in 2023. One thing was clear, all the parties are looking forward to increasing their impact in Indonesia.

Nature Based Solutions in Sidoarjo

The Indonesian government has requested support from the Government of the Netherlands for the improvement of the regional aquaculture sector in Sidoarjo in East Java, whilst strengthening coastal sediment management and the conservation of the mangrove system. The Partners for Water programme has assigned a scoping project to Ecoshape, and in the beginning of December, a team of experts in Building with Nature visited Sidoarjo.

The past 7 years, EcoShape has been actively working on restoring the eroding mangrove coast in Demak with Nature Based Solutions. This has been co-funded by Fund Sustainable Water (RVO). Now EcoShape can translate the lessons learned in Demak to Sidoarjo and potentially integrate solutions to improve the aquaculture and environmental issues in the region. One of the aims of the scoping assignment is to share the knowledge and results with the Dutch and international water sector. A dissemination webinar will be planned in Q1 of 2023.

Asia Water

Robin van Boxtel, First Secretary at the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, elaborated about the trade mission ‘ASIAWATER 2022’ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was organised by the Dutch Embassies of the ASEAN countries, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP). The Dutch Embassy presented the current water cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and 10 Dutch companies from the water sector where part of the expo. Van Boxtel ended with the announcement of more events to be held in the coming years and the representation of the ASEAN countries at Aquatech Amsterdam in 2023.

Semarang Urban Flood Resilience

Jeroen Bakker from Invest International talked about the Semarang Urban Flood Resilience project. To support the City of Semarang in becoming more flood resilience, Invest International has provided 1 million Euro coming from the Develop2Build Dutch Government to Government grant. This money will be used to conduct studies and design and select infrastructure measures to improve Semarang’s climate resilience by reducing the incidence and frequency of floods. Once the research is conducted and the interventions are selected, the project will be handed over to Indonesian project owners who will finance and procure the interventions. The kick-off of this exciting project will be in January 2023!

Finally, Partners for Water gave a warm goodbye to Rien Dam, who has been the Delegated Representative Water in Jakarta and an appreciated contributor to the bilateral collaborations between the Indonesian and Dutch water sector.

The different water parties are looking forward to continuing sharing their knowledge and expertise in the coming year. As Rien Dam said: “The Indonesian – Dutch relationship of the water sector has been long and will be continued for a long time. “

Joint Working Groups

Three JWGs have been tasked with formulating a joint vision and ambition on which the Netherlands and Indonesia will collaborate in the coming years, and to make this ambition tangible in concrete initiatives. Started in October 2024, the JWGs consist of Dutch and Indonesian counterparts who each explored one of the three aspects of the cooperation:

• JWG 1: Integrated Water Resilience, from North Java to enlighten other priority developments.
• JWG 2: Lowland Development and Irrigation.
• JWG 3: Capacity development, Knowledge exchange and Youth engagement.

You are invited!

The JWGs prove to be an effective instrument to exchange ideas with the Indonesian counterparts and to define priority initiatives for the coming years. To share and discuss the initial results and gain further insights from the water sector on these themes, we’d like to invite you to participate in our online exchange session.

Through this online exchange session, you will be informed on the progress and intermittent outcomes, and have the chance to share your knowlegde and inform us on relevant tools available within the sector that can contribute to the regarded themes. Additionally, you will be invited to join us on a regular basis in dedicated brainstorm sessions for each working group.

The online exchange session

The online session will be held on 8 May, 10.00 AM – 11.30 AM (CET). During the session, there will be a plenary introduction to the working group process, followed by breakout groups where you will take a deep dive into the specific outcomes of the working group of your choice.

Want to join? Apply for the event through this form and subscribe to a specific deep dive session. We are looking forward to meeting you on 8 May.

Deep dive sessions

As JWG 3 primarily seeks to contribute in the field of Integrated Water Resilience (JWG 1) and Lowland Development and Irrigation (JWG 2), you are invited to participate in one of the following two deep dive sessions:

Integrated Water Resilience
Urban centers across North Java inhabit a complex interplay of economic development, population increase and resulting natural resource pressures, like high groundwater abstraction, high land subsidence rates, frequent floods and coastal erosion, among others. This deep dive explores the JWGs efforts to identify and further concretize the areas of mutual interest between the Netherlands and Indonesia, among which Nature-based Solutions, urban water resilience, water governance and social inclusion. The deep dive explores what a more holistic approach on regional water management could bring to this complex interplay, and how to build upon existing cooperation and knowledge in North Java.

Lowland development and Irrigation
Lowland areas play a central role in the efforts of Indonesia to reach food independence. Facing major production gaps in the near future, the demand for improving productivity of existing lowlands is high. In reaching these efforts, Indonesia aims for a food system transformation towards an ‘eco-region’ that is sustainable, healthy and resilient, and based on local resources. For years, the Dutch – Indonesian collaboration has provided strategic guidance on lowland areas through programmes like EMRP (2007-2008), WACLIMAD (2010-2012) and QANS (2012-2014). This deep dive will highlight potential areas to continue the collaboration on lowland areas and asks for your participation in defining the unique Dutch selling points in this field.

Partners for Water X Asian Development Bank

By collaborating with nature, we can support biodiversity and ecosystems and foster resilient approaches to water and climate-related challenges. Since June 2023, Partners for Water and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have partnered to promote this approach. This collaboration enables Partners for Water to provide technical support and expert guidance regarding NBS to ADB’s member countries, facilitating the adoption and scaling up of NBS to improve global water security.

NBS Lectures

From April until June, we are offering a range of lectures where you can discover more about utalising NBS to address water challenges and enhance water security. These lectures will cover topics such as urban NBS (wetlands, sponge city, wadi 2.0, tidal parks), mangrove restoration, reuse of local materials in NBS (sediment, (rain) water, etc.) and cultural impact of NBS. You will learn from global experts and international case studies and explore innovative methods, valuable lessons learned and succesfull approaches.

Upcoming lecture

The next, and last NBS lecture will be held on the 5th of June.

Lecture 5 June

The online NBS lecture of 5 June will focus on the cultural impact of NBS.

Nature-Based Solutions can alter the local landscape. Social and cultural inclusion are therefore a prerequisite when implementing NBS.

Topics to be discussed:

• Cultural heritage landscapes restoration
• Hedges as green water corridors: NBS measure on landscape scale
• Cultural ecosystem services in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

Find more information about the lecture topics, as well as the scheduled times and dates here.

The NBS lectures are part of the important partnership agreement between Partners for Water and the Asian Development Bank.

The Bangladesh platform meeting held in The Hague on 2 April 2024 brought together 36 water experts from various sectors to discuss breaking the Build-Neglect-Rebuild (BNR) cycle in Bangladesh. The meeting explored the root causes of the cycle, including issues such as insufficient operation and maintenance (O&M) funding, delayed emergency responses, lack of asset management systems, and inadequate sediment management. Participants emphasized the need for a systemic and holistic approach, involving both top-down and bottom-up strategies, to address these challenges. The meeting also highlighted the importance of private sector engagement, social inclusion, and sustainable financing in infrastructure projects.

Key Takeaways:

• Holistic Approaches: Participants stressed the need for a systemic approach that integrates O&M with long-term strategies to break the BNR cycle effectively.
• Community Involvement: Ownership and involvement of local communities were highlighted as crucial for successful water management projects.
• Sustainable Financing: Sustainable financing models, including public-private partnerships and performance-based contracting, were emphasised to ensure long-term maintenance of infrastructure.
• Social Inclusion: In order to break the BNR cycle and ensure sustainable and effective water management, it’s imperative to create local ownership by building on local knowledge and practices, facilitating inclusive decision-making processes, and engaging with communities in the long run.
• Collective Efforts/Agenda: Tackling the BNR cycle requires collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector, with a focus on consensus-building and long-term planning

Participants in the meeting concluded that there is no ‘magic bullet’ solution and advocated for an agenda-driven dialogue and a long-term process involving all stakeholders to effectively tackle the challenges and move towards adaptive and inclusive asset management in Bangladesh.

If you are interested in finding out more about the dialogues and insights in this meeting, download the more detailed report through the link below.

Project leader

“Measuring water quality with satellite imagery and spectrometers provides instant, efficient and enduring data,” explains Marnix. He works on the MAReS pilot project alongside Costa Rican consortium partners Universidad Nacional and Kaune Engineers & Architects SRL. Together, they detect and monitor Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) along the Costa Rican Pacific coastline, up to 1000 Kilometres into the ocean, using remote sensing technology. “This isn’t the first time Water Insight is collaborating with Partners for Water,” Marnix shares. “In 2012, we tested one of our portable WISP-3s (Water Insight Spectrometer) devices to monitor surface water quality in Estonia, and we were honoured with the Partners for Water Award.”

This time, more than just a product is being tested. “We aim to create a scalable service that provides near-real-time and spatial insights into the location of the HABs to offer local economic sectors the ability to mitigate. Next to contributing to the Costa Rican economy, the project also supports SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 13: Climate Action.”

Transforming challenges into innovations

The increasing threat of HABs jeopardises the rich coastal ecosystems of Costa Rica and crucial economic sectors such as tourism and aquaculture. “The principal cause of HABs is a mixture of eutrophication and climate change,” says Marnix. “They imperil the water quality and all living organisms because they can contaminate the water with toxins and cause anoxia.” By offering a real-time data and prediction service, the consortium aims to assist end-users with timely warnings about the location of HABs, enabling them to anticipate and relocate activities to uncontaminated sites. “For instance, fish farmers may opt to harvest extra fish before the HAB arrive in order to continue delivery, or diving schools can select alternative spots for tourist dives.”

Before these real-time maps are ready to be used, a substantial amount of data must be collected and tested. “With the help of satellite images, we measure the colour of the water. This data is validated through colour measurements from local WISPstations positioned in the water. With this data, we can provide an indication of current or future algal blooms,” explains Marnix. During the pilot project, the WISP data will be verified through water sample testing by researchers from the consortium partner Universidad Nacional. “The combination of using satellite data, calibrated and continuously validated by a WISPstation, is quite a unique method of measuring algae bloom. And it has never been done before in Costa Rica.”

Consortium partners & local partners

“Working with local partners is crucial for a project like this,” Marnix explains. “We were fortunate to catch the attention of one of our local consortium partners, Kaune Engineers & Architects. They reached out to us and the Universidad Nacional, brought our consortium together, and connected us with two Costa Rican companies that are willing to co-design and ultimately adopt the service.” Marnix shares that they use the so-called ‘agile’ approach. “Through regular meetings and feedback sessions with the end user, we are flexible in making decisions and designing the final product. It makes it easier to implement changes that optimise the service for the end user.”

Next step

“At present, the data from the WISPstation is being validated using water sample measurements,” Marnix shares. “And we are discussing the images we generate from the real-time data with the end users.” He explains: “First of all, to verify that the images correspond with their experiences of the algae bloom, but also to receive feedback on the visual presentation of the data. Because ultimately, we want the end users to have an accurate and usable map to support their mitigation decisions.”

Innovation in progress series

During the Partners for Water 2022 – 2027 programme, several projects that received the Partners for Water subsidy will be followed from start to finish. Over the next few years, they will take you with them on their transformative journey. You’ll be able to gain insights into their promising solutions, innovative processes and collaborations with local partners, as well as their struggles, challenges and valuable lessons learned. Stay tuned and follow their journey through the Partners for Water website and our LinkedIn page!

The Singapore International Water Week, held every two years, welcomes global leaders from businesses, governments and academia to discuss innovative water solutions. Taking place from 18-22 June at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.

Unique opportunity

This year’s event features distinct topics such as water technology and coastal and flood resilience and is a unique opportunity for the Dutch water sector to showcase collaborative and integrated experiences on such projects as coastal and urban resilience to participants from the wider Southeast Asian region.

In addition to participating in the pavilion, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands will host several events to strengthen existing and new partnerships including a welcome drinks and networking reception.

Why join?

By joining us at this event, you will gain visibility in the Netherlands Pavilion with a booth of 2×1 metres with your company logo, photos and text. In addition, 2 people will be on hand to help host your booth and special social media posts with participating companies including logos will be shared across Partners for Water channels.  You will also be featured in a dedicated newsletter about SIWW with over 800 subscribers and in an article on the Partners for Water website. Participants will have access to two round table discussions on the exhibition floor.

Participation in the Pavilion and at Singapore International Water Week events will highlight and strengthen the already strong position of the Dutch sector and open up greater business and research and development opportunities.

We hope to welcome you in Singapore.

Mission to Singapore International Water Week

Participants who join us at the Netherlands Pavilion in Singapore are automatically part of the mission from Netherlands Enterprise agency to Singapore International Water Week.

Two winters ago, Partners for Water received a request from the Egyptian state authority for water and sanitation to provide advice on how to reduce the environmental impact of the three water treatment plants in the Nile delta. In order to do this, Partners for Water contracted the Dutch environmental engineering consultancy firm TAUW and connected them with an Egyptian counterpart. We spoke to TAUW advisors Julia Opdam and Paul Telkamp about the results and the lessons learnt from this international cooperation.

‘We calculated the environmental impact associated with the use phase of three types of water treatment plants. In order to do this we worked out what the quantity of additives, electricity and emissions per cubic meter of treated water would be,’ explains Paul. This data can be used to calculate the annual impact of the operations that keep the treatment plants running and in which areas ‘environmental savings’ can be made.

Using local data

‘Our counterpart in Egypt, Holding Company for Water and Wastewater (HCWW), collected the necessary data for us. We then made the calculations from our office in the Netherlands,’ explains Julia. On the one hand this seemed to work efficiently, but on the other it also created challenges. Paul explains: ‘You can only really get to know the treatment if you’ve also been on site to see that treatment. Then you can better understand the results that you get from the data. The fact that we couldn’t check the data on site sometimes made the interpretation a little more difficult.’

Understanding the local context

‘When you visit the water treatment on location and talk to the people who work with it, you also learn to understand the context better. This means that you’re not only dependent on the data, but you can give more critical and targeted advice with the help of detailed information,’ explains Julia. ‘A visit to Egypt didn’t fit within the scope of this specific project, but we will take these insights with us for any future projects,’ adds Paul.

Contextual factors

One of the outcomes of the research was that improvements can still be made regarding the energy used by the treatment plants. ‘Green electricity is an important factor when determining the environmental impact of the energy use. But compared to the Netherlands, Egypt mostly uses grey electricity. So you automatically get a relatively high environmental impact.’ Julia adds: ‘In the Netherlands we’re accustomed to adjusting the aeration based on the contamination in the incoming water flow and the quality which the outgoing flow must comply with. This saves a huge amount of energy. But this is not the standard for water treatment in Egypt. It’s essential to take into account these contextual factors when formulating advice for the client.’

Market opportunities

For TAUW there is no project planned in Egypt in the near future, but both Julia and Paul see many opportunities in the field of water treatment and wastewater collection. ‘There is still plenty of room for innovation in the field of products and technology,’ adds Paul. Julia indicates that there is also a need for process automation.