Every year, dredging vessels pull some 3.6 million cubic metres of sediment from the waters around Barranquilla, where Colombia’s Magdalena River meets the Caribbean Sea. Almost all of it is currently discarded. An ambitious collaboration between the Netherlands and Colombia is working to change that.

The project was brought together under the Partners for Water programme and led by Arcadis in consortium with Colombian engineering firm JESyCA, Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe and Netics. The goal was straightforward: partner with Colombia to identify the building blocks to construct the legal and procedural foundation needed to put dredged material to beneficial and sustainable use. After a year of intensive work, the project formally closed with an event in Bogotá on 26 March 2026.

A resource hiding in plain sight

In Colombia, dredging is not optional. The country’s rivers carry enormous sediment loads, constantly depositing material in ports and navigational channels. The Magdalena River alone drains a vast Andean watershed. Without regular dredging, trade along these waterways effectively stops.

While dredging is routine, nothing useful is done with what is removed. “Currently, it’s disposed of,” says Pilar Vasquez, a biologist at Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe and one of the project’s lead researchers. Disposal follows a defined set of quality assessments and upon completion, the sediment is sent to designated sites.

It’s a significant waste. About half of the material typically dredged is either clean or sufficiently clean to reuse. Once dried, the sediment’s physical and chemical characteristics are similar to extracted raw material and sometimes even better, offering nutrients that can support nature restoration.

In the Netherlands, instead of importing clay, clayey dredging material is being used to reinforce sea dykes and to construct new islands, combining improving water quality and boosting biodiversity (Marker Wadden). In addition, compressed dredging material has been shaped into artificial reef elements that restore underwater habitats (GEOWALL). The shift in thinking is not complicated rather than asking where to dump dredged material, instead you can ask where can it go to do the most good.

Learning from ten countries

The first phase of the project looked closely at the Dutch experience. The Netherlands has spent decades refining its approach to dredging material with one principle standing out as particularly interesting. In the Netherlands, permissible contamination limits are set according to what the material will actually be used for and not just the sediment’s quality in isolation. “This is very important,” Pilar says. “It differs from many other countries, where limits are established, regardless of how you’re going to use the sediment.”

The team reviewed regulatory frameworks from ten jurisdictions, searching for examples that resembled Colombia’s tropical context. Dutch standards, developed for a small, temperate, geologically uniform country cannot always be directly applied. Colombia is something else entirely with enormous diversity in terms of geology, climate, ecology and living organisms. For example, what would apply for the Caribbean coast would not necessarily apply to the Pacific coast or the Amazon basin.

Two regions ultimately emerged as the best references: Florida (USA) and Brazil. Both are tropical regions that have developed their own use-based approaches to sediment. The Colombian Ministry of Environment’s plan is to take these two as a starting point, setting initial thresholds while continuing to gather local data to refine them over time.

A case study in Barranquilla

The next phase looked at what beneficial use could look like in practice in the Colombian context. The team focused on Barranquilla, capital of the Department of Atlántico situated at the mouth of the Magdalena river and one of Colombia’s most important maritime gateways.

The team carried out an assessment of the physical and chemical properties of dredged sediments alongside volumes and frequencies. These findings were fed into workshops with a broad group of stakeholders including: national ministries, local environmental authorities, ports, universities, military marine researchers and scientists from a national park just along the coast.

From this process, six conceptual designs emerged. Four addressed coastal erosion protection a real and urgent problem along the Department of Atlántico, where a combination of natural dynamics and impact of engineering works have disrupted natural sediment processes and left stretches of coastline exposed. The remaining two looked at soil enrichment and the production of construction materials.

Throughout the process, the project team emphasised that feasibility depends on context. “Distance is a key factor,” Pilar observes. “If the application site is too far from the dredging location, it simply isn’t economically viable. You have to look at it integrally incorporating the technical aspects, economic feasibility and community interests.”

A genuinely two-way exchange

The most important outcome of the project was not captured in five of the technical reports produced. It was this: knowledge exchange only works when it goes both ways.

“I want to really emphasise the two-way nature of this,” says Didi Gieling, Policy Officer at the Dutch Embassy in Bogotá. “From the beginning, I was genuinely impressed by the critical questions from all the counterparts, the scrutiny, the thinking-along.”

The collaboration between the Netherlands’ Government, Colombia’s Ministries of Environment and Transport and the National Department of Planning (DNP was formalised in a memorandum of understanding and has been running since 2017. This project, however brought the relationship to a different level.

Five training sessions were held over the course of the year, including two of them in Barranquilla. These brought together national policymakers, local experts, port operators and environmental authorities who deal with the Magdalena River every single day.

“One thing is sending a document,” Didi says. “Quite another is actually sitting down together and discussing it. Seeing what the interests are and which role other institutions need to play. Because you quickly realise it doesn’t stop at the ministries. So many other institutions have to come along for this to actually work.”

What comes next

The legal framework itself is still under development. The Ministry of Environment is preparing a decree that will lay the regulatory groundwork for reuse of dredging material, a process that is gaining traction and informed directly by the work the consortium has done. Full implementation on the ground will take time.

This year the Netherlands and Colombia mark 200 years of bilateral diplomatic relations and the project’s legacy is already taking shape with a new network of connections between Dutch and Colombian water professionals, researchers, ports, environmental institutions and businesses. As Colombia heads into presidential elections this June the network is built to last beyond government changes and will create opportunities for both Dutch expertise and Colombian industry alike.

Meanwhile, the sediment in the Magdalena River continues to move. The question is no longer whether Colombia can find a better use for it, but how quickly the country can build the systems to make that possible.

Please find here the project reports:

Final reports in English:
E1 – Key insights from the Netherlands on dredging (re)use approval [pdf]
E2 – Analysis Netherlands and other countries requirements for beneficial use of dredged sediments [pdf]
E3 – Assessment of the quality of dredged marine sediments in the port area of Barranquilla [pdf]
E4 – Procedural guidelines dredged marine sediments in Colombia [pdf]
E5 – Case study dredged sediments in Barranquilla [pdf]

Informes finales en español:
E1 – Información clave de los Países Bajos sobre (re)uso de sedimentos [pdf]
E2 – Análisis de requisitos de calidad uso sedimentos dragados en Países Bajos y otros países [pdf]
E3 – Evaluación de la calidad física y química de los sedimentos dragados en la zona portuaria de Barranquilla [pdf]
E4 – Directrices de procedimiento sedimentos marinos dragados en Colombia [pdf]
E5 – Estudio de caso aprovechamiento de sedimentos dragados en Barranquilla [pdf]

Flowing Forward is a new capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening the institutional capabilities of the water sector in Bangladesh. The project focuses on two key challenges: improving asset management within the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and enhancing the knowledge of public organisations to effectively develop and manage public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Why this project?

Bangladesh faces major water-related challenges: ageing infrastructure, climate change, and a rapidly growing demand for reliable water services. A previous study commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) showed that current maintenance processes are not sufficiently geared towards the long term, that data and knowledge management are fragmented, and that financial resources are not being used optimally. In addition, research commissioned by the Netherlands Embassy indicates strong potential for collaboration with private parties. However, public institutions in Bangladesh currently lack sufficient experience to structure and manage PPP projects in a sustainable manner.

What makes this project unique?

Dutch and Bangladeshi partners jointly determine priorities, select case studies, and co-create training materials. A Project Coordination Group monitors progress and decides on the final structure of the programme following an inception period. The project places a strong emphasis on national expertise: more than half of all training days will be delivered by Bangladeshi experts. During the project, 10–15 experts from Bangladesh will be trained as national trainers, ensuring long-term knowledge retention.

Intended results

The programme aims to contribute to stronger and more sustainable water management in Bangladesh. During the project, BWDB will receive support to embed an asset management framework. Public organisations will be supported to independently develop PPP projects, and a national group of certified trainers will ensure continued knowledge transfer after project completion. Finally, the project emphasises gender equality in the selection of participants and trainers.

Project duration

Flowing Forward will run from December 2025 to September 2027, with a strong focus on ensuring the sustainable continuation of the project by Bangladeshi partners after the Dutch support has ended.

The article is also published on the website of our collaboration partner World Water Academy.

For more than a decade, the Dutch Training and Exposure Programme (DUTEP) has connected Indonesia and the Netherlands through its annual capacity building initiative in the water sector. Empowering a new generation of Indonesian water professionals, this past year demonstrated the programme’s growing momentum, strengthened through expanding partnerships and deepening collaborations across urban and national networks. 

A Public–Private Partnership Driving Impact

DUTEP is implemented through a dynamic public-private consortium of Dutch and Indonesian partners, including the City of Rotterdam, Van Oord, NX Filtration, Delfland Water Board, Deltares, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Nuffic Southeast Asia. In 2025, Boskalis made an in-kind contributed to the programme by hosting a closing ceremony at their training facilities in Papendrecht (The Netherlands), where DUTEP participants pitched their innovative research outcomes. This public-private partnership is made possible through the financial backing of supported RVO-Partners for Water and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

On the Indonesian side, the Jakarta City Government (DKI Jakarta) and the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) participated in this year’s programme. OIKN’s involvement aligns with its commitment to the “sponge city” concept, promoting sustainable water resource management in Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital. The ADB supported this initiative by funding the participation of two young civil servants from OIKN, demonstrating its broader engagement in the development of the new capital. Their specific learning needs were addressed by Deltares, the host organisation, which provided tailored technical expertise in line with their professional development objectives.

DUTEP encourages participants to develop innovative, practical solutions to local water challenges. One example is the Eco Mosque concept winner of the 2019 DUTEP Water Challenge. The initiative focuses on recycling ablution water used before prayer and repurposing it for plant irrigation and cleaning. The project is estimated to save 1,300 litres of water per month.

A more recent example is the development of Taman Gapura Muka Cakung, a new urban park and green public space in Cakung, East Jakarta. Inspired by the ZOHO Rain Letters, a smart rainwater management system in Rotterdam, the park was inaugurated by the Governor of DKI Jakarta in early January 2026.

A Growing Alumni Network

Since its launch in 2014, DUTEP has built a network of over 95 alumni from the Jakarta City Government (DKI Jakarta), the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works (PU) and the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN). Many alumni now hold key positions that strengthen Dutch-Indonesian collaboration in water management. At the same time, the alumni network provides valuable connections for Dutch organisations seeking opportunities in Indonesia.

One example is Cite Aditya, who joined DUTEP in 2015 and conducted research on asset management for the City of Rotterdam. Today, he serves as Head of Development and Environment at the Jakarta City Government.

A year before Cipta joined the programme, Ika Agustin Ningrum began her journey in the first DUTEP cohort with a placement at Delfland Water Board, where she focused on operations and maintenance of flood infrastructure. Today, she leads Jakarta’s Flood Management Department. Discover more about Ika’s DUTEP experience here.

A more recent participant, Mushlih Muharrik from Jakarta’s Development Planning Agency, spent eight weeks in Rotterdam exploring blue-green rooftop farming. This concept demonstrates how Jakarta’s rooftop gardens on school buildings could support healthy canteen programmes and green infrastructure.

A Consortium in Continuous Development

DUTEP’s partners are dedicated to continued knowledge sharing and long-term cooperation. This year, the consortium welcomed NX Filtration, bringing valuable expertise in innovative membrane solutions and advanced treatment technologies. This has enabled DUTEP to delve deeper into the theme of access to piped clean water, a topic of increasing urgency in Indonesia’s urban context.

“We valued the mutual knowledge exchange created by hosting a young civil servant from the Regional Development Planning Agency of DKI Jakarta, whose research internship focused on accelerating alternative water sources to improve access to clean water, closely aligning with our goals.”
— Joris de Grooth, R&D Director at NX Filtration

Despite being at different stages of urban development, Jakarta, Nusantara and Rotterdam share common challenges related to water management and climate change. This commonality creates opportunities for collaboration highlighting DUTEP’s continued importance as a meaningful platform for dialogue and mutual learning between Indonesia and the Netherlands.

Looking Ahead

As DUTEP continues to evolve, the programme is increasingly positioned as a strategic and annual capacity-building initiative within the broader framework of Dutch–Indonesian cooperation in the water sector. Beyond its current scope, the programme has the potential for expansion to other regions in Indonesia, such as Semarang and possibly to other Southeast Asian countries. At the same time, DUTEP offers clear opportunities for strategic scaling across key Indonesia and Dutch partners.

With its adaptable programme design, strong public–private consortium and growing alumni network, DUTEP is well placed to serve as a flagship programme for developing future-ready water professionals and fostering long-term partnerships between Indonesia and the Netherlands. By blending public and private financing streams, DUTEP continues to set a benchmark for collaborative models that deliver innovative and sustainable water solutions for the future.

For more information about DUTEP please contact Charlotte Troost, the Project Development & Support Officer at Nuffic Southeast Asia.

In Sidoarjo, Indonesia, the Farmer Field and Forest Schools (FFFS) programme is demonstrating how nature-based solutions can strengthen sustainable aquaculture and coastal resilience. The initiative brings together local government bodies, private sector partners and Blue Forests to support fish farmers in adopting environmentally sound practices. Through hands-on, participatory learning, farmers have developed practical skills in pond water and soil management, mangrove integration and organic aquaculture methods.

Despite challenges such as shrimp disease outbreaks and tidal flooding, participating farmers showed strong resilience and motivation. Many are already applying their new knowledge to improve water quality and productivity, and several have expressed interest in continuing with future FFFS cycles. The programme builds on EcoShape’s scoping recommendations, lessons learned from the successful FFFS implementation in Demak, and ongoing collaboration with local stakeholders. In doing so, Sidoarjo is paving the way for wider replication and scaling of the FFFS approach.

More information on EcoShape’s scoping recommendations can be found in the following report. 

Local authorities are now exploring how insights from the FFFS can be integrated into new coastal field schools, with interest in expanding the initiative to additional sub-districts. A key factor behind this progress has been the dedicat

On 4 November, Partners for Water convened Bangladeshi and Dutch partners in The Hague with two clear purposes: Identify opportunities and challenges for PPP in the water sector and make asset management the everyday operating system for water infrastructure in Bangladesh. The day was opened by Neeltje Kielen, Delegated Representative for Water in Bangladesh (Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands/RVO), and coordinated on the Dutch side by Michiel Slotema, Bangladesh Programme Advisor at Partners for Water (RVO). It moved from a morning of PPP scene-setting, pitches and a frank fishbowl discussion on early-stage risks to an early-afternoon milestone: a Strategic Partnership Arrangement (SPA) on Asset Management between Bangladesh’s Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

Asset management as an operating system: Bangladesh and the Netherlands set the rules of the game.

Why this matters now

Bangladesh, until now a low-income country, will reach middle-income status in 2026. On current trajectories, it is expected to be the world’s 20th-largest economy by 2038 – a transition that raises the bar for infrastructure performance and financing. However, Bangladesh faces fiscal constraints, making it difficult to fund necessary infrastructure projects solely through public budgets. PPPs enable the leveraging of private capital to build critical infrastructure without immediately adding to the country’s debt burden. At the same time, this densely populated delta country is juggling climate extremes, upstream river dynamics, and fast urban and economic change. Too often, water assets fall into a build–neglect–rebuild (BNR) loop. Breaking it takes clear decision rules, reliable Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding, data that drive choices, and governance that links national strategy to field results.

The day at a glance

• Morning – Opening & Embassy framing. Welcome by Neeltje Kielen. The embassy keynote highlights the urgency to take action and the potential opportunities.
• Late morning – PPP pitches + fishbowl. Three targeted pitches followed by a candid discussion on first-mile finance and risk.
• Lunch – Networking break.
• Early afternoon – Milestone. Signing of the SPA MoU to institutionalise asset management (MoWR–BWDB–RVO).
• Mid-afternoon – Scan & roadmap. Maturity assessment and plan for practical change within BWDB.
• Late afternoon – Incentives, governance, and the Official Development Assistance horizon. System fixes, inclusion, and how to sustain progress beyond concessional aid.

“We want partnerships and investment”

Fahim Faisal highlighted how PPP opportunities in wastewater, solid waste and sludge-to-value can advance only when early-stage risks are shared, data and feasibility are realistic, and Dutch and Bangladeshi partners jointly build pipelines rather than one-off projects. This was followed by Hasan Abdullah Towhid, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Embassy of Bangladesh in The Hague, who highlighted both the urgency to take action and the potential opportunities. He underlined climate exposure and paired it with a practical request: technology transfer, knowledge-sharing, and investment via PPPs rather than traditional aid:

“We don’t want more aid… we want technology transfer, knowledge sharing, best practices and investment in terms of profit and public-private partnership.”

With a young workforce and strong engineering talent, his message was simple: the window for value-creating partnerships is now!

Three pitches: practical PPP pathways

Three short pitches highlighted PPP opportunities.

Royal HaskoningDHV – lessons from engagement in PPP and long-term presence in Bangladesh. The team explored how to turn the question of ‘what next’ after treatment into creating value by reusing effluent and sludge with real off-takers. Project Manager Sheila Carvalho explained: “Our project focuses on two components: the feasibility of wastewater post-treatment for Chattogram, and viable reuse of effluent and sludge.”

SNV – PPP in Cumilla and work on small PPPs. SNV standardises bite-size, multi-year PPP contracts (often around 10-year lease/management models) with Integrated Municipal Information System (IMIS)-backed tracking so capacity comes first, scale second. Ismène Stalpers, Country Director Bangladesh explained: “We realised very quickly we needed to start at the ground level.”

SweepSmart – PPP in waste and drainage management. SweepSmart pairs drainage upgrades with mixed-waste processing to recover materials and generate Refuse-Derived Fuel revenues. Founder Niels van den Hoek: “Financial viability is concern number one, two and three.”

Fishbowl: the “first-mile” financing gap

The fishbowl discussion soon narrowed to the same hard edge: early-stage risk.

Don Offermans, an independent advisor who has watched plenty of deals wobble, put it bluntly: “You can take four steps successfully and fail on the fifth – and lose all your money.” Léon Weisscher from Invest International drew the line where their capital really starts to move: “Pre-feasibility is often too early for us. We typically fund full feasibility when there’s a clear line of sight to implementation… Development accelerators and export solutions can help, as long as there’s Dutch content.”

Developers can’t build up their Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) capacity for just one small project as they need portfolios, not one-off jobs. How can they work around this? By teaming up across Europe, for example via a Dutch-Danish consortia to satisfy content rules, while plugging capability gaps, and stacking revenue levers where possible: carbon credits on one side, municipal co-finance on the other.

By the end, there was a simple, unanimous core message: spread the first-mile risk between public and private, build pipelines instead of projects, and weave in local finance from day one.

The big moment: a milestone MoU

After lunch, it was time for the day’s milestone: the signing of a new Strategic Partnership Arrangement (SPA) on Asset Management between the Ministry of Water Resources, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The SPA MoU structures cooperation at three levels: implementation (participatory in-polder water management), institution (BWDB’s shift from reactive O&M to proactive asset management), and policy (alignment with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, including steps toward more predictable O&M financing).

Joining from Dhaka, Dr Robin Biswas (BWDB) signed online while Michiel Slotema (RVO/Partners for Water) signed in the conference room. Dr Biswas, an experienced river management specialist and long-time advocate of participatory water governance, called it “a very good moment,” signalling a move “from a reactive to a proactive approach.” He also stated the constraint plainly: “This year, the O&M budget requirement was 130 billion Taka (€915M), but the allocation was only 10 billion Taka (€70M). He explained that most of that is spent on emergency works.” On the cultural hurdle, he added: “It’s the tragedy of the commons – everyone benefits from water, but no one takes responsibility for operation and maintenance.”

The SPA MoU also matters beyond the signatures: it codifies roles, decision rules and funding pathways so that asset management becomes business as usual rather than an add-on – linking day-to-day maintenance, data and budgets to the outcomes the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 demands.

From scan to roadmap: what needs to change within BWDB

Asset management specialist Dr Hala Alhamed presented a structured maturity self-assessment (adapted from the International Infrastructure Management Manual and tailored to BWDB). Ten fields – from strategy and service levels to data, finance, risk and governance – were rated and distilled into various initiatives.

This is what the self-assessment revealed:

• Decisions are not tied to outcomes; priorities change.
• Budgeting is centralised and lacking evidence; it slows routine O&M.
• The organisation is engineering-strong but weak in finance, data, and process capabilities.
• Data exists but it isn’t embedded in approvals, procurement and planning.
• The problem can’t be solved by raising user fees. First, get the management and data right; then talk about fees.

What the roadmap proposes:

• Create an outcome-based decision framework linking O&M/capex to clear criteria.
• Embed asset management in workflows; clarify HQ-district roles; cut approval lag.
• Treat the AM plan as a project; evolve to a single “source of truth” for assets/data.
• Put together a multidisciplinary core team (engineers + finance + analytics + process).
• Start where ownership exists, learn fast, then scale.

Incentives make the system move; governance keeps it honest

Rubaiyath Sarwar (Innovation Consulting) mapped demand, supply, support services and rules (formal and informal) around embankments, gates, dredging, monitoring and maintenance. Two points stood out: money shapes behaviour, and longevity must be rewarded.

On governance and inclusion, Pim de Beer (IOB) reflected on Dutch policy evaluations: upfront system analysis is often missing; designs follow policy templates more than system needs; the sustainability of results is rarely monitored post-project.

Hero Heering (MetaMeta) argued for water management “for a purpose”: pair infrastructure with agricultural value so that users have a reason to maintain it. Set up decentralized emergency O&M funds with clear triggers to stop small issues becoming failures while central budgets move.

Melvin van der Veen (Both ENDS) put power back in the picture: “This is about governance: who is involved in decision-making?” He cited Tidal River Management (TRM) with UTTARAN and the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), where communities and local government co-designed a basin plan which engineers modelled and iterated – along with compensation for landless people during TRM cycles.

These were the connecting themes throughout discussions:

• Make inter-agency collaboration (BWDB, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and others, routine.
• Work at hydrological scales where possible.
• Honour O&M agreements so that community routines are matched by timely government action on larger works.

Five concrete next moves

1. Use the decision framework in the next budget cycle; publish criteria tied to outcomes and document trade-offs for Planning and Finance.
2. Pilot two emergency O&M facilities in selected polders with clear triggers, caps and reporting.
3. Mandate a core asset team (engineers + finance + data + process) to simplify, standardise and drive adoption.
4. Wire one data tool into one approval (e.g., procurement must reference the asset register) and retire parallel spreadsheets.
5. Prototype a longevity incentive: recognize teams and projects that extend asset life beyond design.

These moves are small on their own but together they can change daily decisions.

Looking past Official Development Assistance (ODA)

As Bangladesh advances toward middle-income status, concessional aid will taper. Safeguards proposed by participants: a light-touch TA tail so institutions keep learning after projects close; bridging mechanisms (revolving or outcome-based where appropriate) that carry O&M improvements beyond project timelines; training at scale (e.g. with World Water Academy) to professionalise asset management across agencies; and system monitoring that outlives programmes (fault response times, maintenance cycles, service levels – not just project KPIs).

What Partners for Water can uniquely add

Four roles crystallised:

• Convene (ministries, BWDB, local government, civil society, financiers, Dutch and EU expertise).
• Sequence (scan → roadmap → pilots → scale) to fit institutions.
• Codify what works (model MoUs, WMO agreements, decision framework, simple templates.
• Connect Dutch and EU capability with Bangladeshi ownership so portfolios rather than pilots emerge.

Closing note

The SPA MoU gave the afternoon its milestone. The scan, roadmap, as well as the finance and governance debates gave it direction. In Dr Robin’s words, be “proactive.” In Rubaiyath Sarwar’s, “reward infrastructure that lasts.” Put together, they create a practical recipe to make the build–neglect–rebuild cycle the exception, not the norm, one budget cycle and one maintenance round at a time.

Audience questions and attendees’ ‘homework’ tips and ideas for the moderators kept the debate going through the well-catered end-of-day reception.

Read more about initiatives to break the BNR cycle in Bangladesh here.

In the neighbourhoods along the Juan Angola Canal, a downpour is rarely without consequences. Streets can flood within minutes, and the city has spent years trying to bring urban growth back in step with the landscape. With phase 3 of Water as Leverage, this should take shape for the first time, with detailed designs and implementation roadmaps for paving stones, culverts and mangrove restoration. Furthermore, these plans are genuinely bankable and ready to implement.

What is Water as Leverage?

Water as Leverage (WaL) is a Dutch approach that reverses the usual sequence: rather than having a technical plan first and then looking for support and funding, this approach brings together knowledge, governance, financing, and communities from day one. In multidisciplinary teams of Colombian, Dutch, and international experts, early sketches grow into concrete designs ready for further development.

“It’s the integrated perspective – physical system, ecology, economy, employment, and financing – that makes WaL truly unique,” explains Michel Zuijderwijk from Witteveen+Bos. “You’re not only designing for water, but also for the city and its residents.” Witteveen+Bos is the lead partner of the Roots of Cartagena team, which has been working within the Water as Leverage Cartagena programme.

What is the current status of the WaL Cartagena programme?

During phase 1 which started in February 2023, these two teams explored Cartagena’s bottlenecks and opportunities regarding water and climate adaptation. This produced an initial city outlook and a selection of hotspots where water, public space, and quality of life intersect. At the end of this phase, eleven concepts were on the longlist.

During phase 2, beginning at the end of September that year, this was narrowed down to five serious project candidates and technically underpinned to pre-feasibility. Five local design workshops with local stakeholders proved decisive: specific areas of the Juan Angola Canal were given the green light to continue towards a third phase, with nature-based measures and practical interventions that are easy to scale up.

Colombian delegation’s visit to the Netherlands: three lessons

As the kick-off for the third and final phase of this programme, a Colombian delegation visited the Netherlands to look at waterworks, nature-inclusive projects, and maintenance regimes, such as the Sand Engine near Kijkduin (beach nourishment as coastal protection), Benthemplein Water Square in Rotterdam (urban water storage), and the Marker Wadden islands (nature restoration built with dredged sediment). Wilmer Iriarte Restrepo, Cartagena’s Secretary of Infrastructure, named several key insights to take into the next phase:

• Link flood resilience to public space.
  “Look at flood resilience and public space as one entity. Maintenance thus becomes logical and you create pleasant places that residents actually use.”
• Let nature do the work.
  “From ‘sand motor’ to sluices: harness natural processes and the topography to filter and direct water. Not dogmatically, but flexibly: what works here may work differently elsewhere.”
• Keep solutions simple and scale them up.
  “Sometimes the best intervention is to give streets a little more slope and install a narrow gutter in the drainage system. Simple in itself, but if applied a thousand times, the cumulative impact is substantial.”

This down-to-earth view aligns with the WaL method: nature-based solutions where possible, hard interventions where necessary. “NBS are never one-size-fits-all,” says Zuijderwijk. “They are context-specific; that’s precisely why you always design together with the place in question.”

The next phase: feasibility studies for the Juan Angola Canal

One project has been selected within WaL Cartagena to proceed to feasibility studies in phase 3: the Juan Angola Canal. The WaL Project Proposal concerns flood resilience and quality of life, upstream and downstream, and is well aligned with local needs and plans. It roughly entails the following:

• Along Juan Angola, the bank would be gradually transformed into a continuous city park. The canal would be given room to breathe: it would be deepened and restored so that water can flow better. A footpath would connect places to linger and steps down to the water; in quieter sections, reed beds, riparian plants, and shallow sheltered zones will attract fish, birds, and insects. This gives rise to a place where flood protection coincides with a pleasant, green route through the neighbourhood.
• Higher up, on the slopes and in the streets, rainwater would be retained. Infiltration cells, green verges, and small storage areas give water time to percolate into the soil, while at strategic points, culverts lead the surplus to the canal in a controlled way. Replanting bare embankments binds the soil and slows erosion, so that less sand and silt reach the lower city. The result would be a chain of simple interventions that together calm the system and make the neighbourhood more liveable.

“I see a lot of methodological overlap between the WaL design and what the municipality is already doing,” says Iriarte. “From the characterisation of the micro-catchment to the idea of public space with footpaths and viewpoints: we’re on the same page. I also recognize innovative elements from the WaL team – for example, ideas related to biodiversity in the canal; we’d like to replicate those.”

What the Netherlands has learned from the WaL Cartagena programme

Barbara Swart, coordinator of bilateral cooperation on water and climate adaptation at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) and lead within Partners for Water, sees in WaL Cartagena exactly what the Netherlands is aiming for with international cooperation: impact on the ground and learning from each other. “It’s great to provide and to collect knowledge,” says Swart. “But above all, we want to see that this knowledge is used: that Cartagena’s residents benefit directly. WaL is integral and inclusive; it is developed together with the communities. That makes it stronger.”

On an earlier visit to the city, she and her team saw the enormous opportunities here. It’s a coastal city where water and climate challenges, public space, and social development converge. That makes the area eminently suitable for projects that not only reduce flood risks, but also regreen neighbourhoods, improve health and quality of life, and strengthen local ownership. Because the city also prioritises these aspects and financiers have been engaged from day one, this paves the way for tangible results in the short term and a scalable route to larger water infrastructure.

She emphasises that this cooperation is a two-way street. “We’re still ‘Nederland Waterland’, a country reclaimed from the water,” says Swart, “but in other regions, extreme rains, heat and drought have been going on longer and are more severe. We can learn from that. A striking example is the principle that water and soil are considered in spatial decisions. The Netherlands and Colombia embedded this in policy around the same time. Then you want to know how it works in practice. Who achieves results faster, and why?”

Financing: early at the table, but with local ownership

From the start, financiers and development banks have been at the table to test whether a design will be bankable later. Swart: “Here we have an intermediary role: bringing parties to the table and hearing their ideas. But ownership lies in Cartagena. The city must determine whom to partner with and how the link to national budgets will work. We’re not the leading party. (…) The most important thing is to produce concrete, bankable packages which financiers can commit to.” Financing resilient urban projects is usually challenging, due to fiscal restrictions in governments, both local and national, emphasises Zuijderwijk.

Final phase

Meanwhile, work continues apace. “In the short term, the municipality would like to push at least one section of the canal design quickly through the approval process,” says Zuijderwijk. “A challenge, but doable. Immediately after, we would elaborate the longer-term measures: hydrological model, impact calculations, environmental frameworks, and the financing mix.” Phase 3 is being shaped with our partners at the municipality, says Swart. “We want to deliver early results and set out the vision and elaboration for the larger water infrastructure project that can be implemented later.”

Participation as a design decision-maker

Social dialogue will be crucial in the period ahead. Iriarte sees an opportunity here. “In phase 3 we can establish methods and forms of social consultation that allow us to systematically gather residents’ ideas, knowledge, and concerns. Neighbours sometimes disagree – you must keep an eye on that. It could be about something small, like where a bridge should be. But that’s where a good solution begins, by accommodating the different parties.” This ties in with one of the aspects Swart finds so inspiring in Colombia: “Embedding indigenous and local knowledge. We have participation in the Netherlands too, but in Colombia you see how self-evident it is that communities co-decide. It works, and it translates into simpler maintenance and tangible ownership.”

What is ultimately at stake?

For Cartagena: fewer floods, more shade and greenery, better access to water and public space, and less sediment washing into the lower city. For the Netherlands: practical knowledge about scaling up nature-inclusive solutions in a tropical coastal city, about financing climate adaptation projects, and about embedding management in community structures. Regarding global cooperation, there is another ambition. “In 2023 we agreed the Water Action Agenda at the UN Water Conference,” says Swart. “This means we need to take action. We talk a lot, but ultimately, it’s about visible results. Because of the effects of climate change the urgency has grown, and I would love it if we could demonstrate what WaL has delivered in concrete terms at the next conference in 2026. This requires a joint acceleration now. To get there, all partners – Cartagena’s authorities, communities, Dutch and international funders, and the WaL consortium – need to accelerate delivery now.”

This year, Mozambique and the Netherlands mark 50 years of cooperation in water and agriculture – a long-term partnership built on solidarity and shared learning. To reflect on this milestone, Maarten Gischler (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Richard Bahumwire (SDU Beira) and Gerard Vos (FOUNT) share their perspectives on how decades of collaboration have evolved from technical assistance to a partnership for urban climate resilience, and what lies ahead in the decades to come.

It’s 1975. Mozambique has just gained independence. The country faces a collapsed economy and a shortage of skilled professionals. To fill the gap, the government invites foreign experts – known locally as cooperantes – including Dutch engineers specialised in water and irrigation. These Dutch cooperantes help to establish systems that would shape Mozambique’s water management for decades.

Over time, this technical assistance evolved into something much greater: a true partnership.

From technical assistance to partnership

“I think we started from the idea that we knew how everything should be done, because our water infrastructure is so well organised in the Netherlands,” reflects Maarten Gischler, Delta Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and long-time advisor to the Dutch water programme in Mozambique. “Over time, we learned to really start listening to what is happening locally, to enable local leadership, and to focus on long-term processes rather than quick results.”

The long-term involvement of Dutch experts fostered deep trust between Mozambican institutions and the Dutch Embassy. What began as sector-wide technical assistance gradually developed into sustainable, integrated water management – where governance, land management and finance all form part of the same equation. Nowhere would this become more evident than in Beira. Here, a 25-year vision for urban resilience would turn lessons into practice.

Beira’s masterplan becomes reality

By the early 2010s, Beira had emerged as a focal point. The city’s port was economically vital, growing 10 to 15 percent annually under a concession to a Dutch port operator since 1997. However, the port city was increasingly threatened by floods and rising sea levels.

Gischler: “When a Dutch mission visited in 2010, the city’s late mayor made a decisive request: ‘It’s great that you’re looking at the port, but half our city is under water time and again. We need a plan for that.’” That call led to the Beira Masterplan 2035, developed with support from Partners for Water and the Dutch Embassy. After being approved in 2014, it became more than a document. “The plan became a living chessboard,” recalls Gischler. “The late mayor laid that map on his table in the city hall, and projects were chess pieces that could move, connect and synergise.”

The results span new infrastructure, improved governance, better service delivery and more financial resources. “Neighbourhoods that once flooded for weeks now see water recede within days,” says Gischler. “The city’s cadastre system was digitalised, enabling property tax collection that grew from €600,000 to €2 million annually. That’s empowering for a city government. Being able to collect your own money and having an accountability relationship with citizens.” But infrastructure alone wasn’t enough to build climate resilience. It also required addressing other long-standing national challenges.

Why financing blocks resilient housing

When Cyclone Idai struck in 2019, followed by Cyclone Eloise in 2021, the storms exposed Beira’s deeper vulnerability. “Seventy percent of houses were damaged,” Gischler recalls. “It showed us that resilience is not just about drainage and dikes, it’s also about the homes people live in.”

One of the root problems for resilient housing? “Financing,” explains Richard Bahumwire, CEO of Sociedade de Desenvolvimento Urbano da Beira (SDU Beira), the municipal land development company. “Across Mozambique’s 34 million people, only about 600 mortgages have ever been issued.” Interest rates hover around 25 percent, and banks consider low-income households too risky. Without access to credit, people build informally – often in unsafe areas. “Self-built homes dominate the landscape,” Bahumwire adds. “They are affordable, yet extremely vulnerable. If roofs keep blowing off, you can’t call a city resilient.”

SDU Beira – a public-private company established in 2018 and fully owned by the Municipality of Beira – was set up to carry out the city’s Masterplan 2035. In response to the cyclones, it shifted its focus toward developing climate-resilient housing. The company started with the preparation of flood-prone land for construction. “Beira is like Rotterdam,” Bahumwire explains. “It lies below sea level. so if you want to build, you first need land that doesn’t flood.”

But how do you build affordable homes when potential buyers can’t access loans? “Local private developer Casa Real became a pioneer in tackling this challenge,” shares Gischler. In partnership with the Municipality of Beira, which secured the land and land titles, Casa Real has built, sold or rented around 150 affordable, climate-resilient homes since 2018 in the Inhamízua neighbourhood. “When Cyclone Idai struck, the first batch of ten houses was put to the test, and all subsequent homes benefited from improved cyclone-resilient design. Casa Real also experimented with different financing models, both for construction and for end-users.”

Maraza: breaking the financing deadlock

This year marked a breakthrough. The first stone was laid in Maraza, an integrated affordable housing project aiming to build 25,000 homes in Beira following the 150 homes in Inhamízua. With support from Partners for Water and the Dutch embassy, three hectares of land were raised by two metres, and essential infrastructure was installed. Casa Real then built eight pilot homes, merging their private-sector experience with the municipality’s public-sector initiative. “It’s just the beginning,” explains Bahumwire. “The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.”

A revolving fund model that scales

“The eight houses prove more than concept – they also demonstrate a new financing model,” explains Gerard Vos from FOUNT, a Dutch impact investment advisory firm that helped to structure the financing. He continues: “Partners for Water provided a grant and loan to SDU Beira, which loaned funds to local developer Casa Real to build the homes. Once residents move in and prove they can pay their monthly instalments, GAPI Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO) refinance the completed houses through a separate affordable housing facility.”

Residents enter “rent-to-buy” arrangements: monthly instalments at lower interest rates than commercial banks offer, with flexible schedules suited to irregular incomes. “When GAPI and ILO refinance the homes, SDU can reinvest that money in the next batch of houses,” explains Vos. “That’s how you scale.” He adds: “The model reduces risk for developers, makes housing accessible for buyers, and creates a sustainable investment cycle – all without traditional mortgages.”

From pilot to blueprint

“Affordable housing will be a game-changer for Beira,” says Bahumwire. “The city is growing, the port is expanding, industries are coming… people will need safe, affordable homes close to work.” The dream is ambitious: 25,000 homes in Maraza, transforming flood-prone land into safe, vibrant communities. But realising this vision requires proof that the model works at scale. “A track record is vital,” explains Vos. “You need to show investors: we’ve built, we’ve sold, we’ve refinanced. Meanwhile, the project is capturing payment data which is crucial for banks. Do that a few times and larger parties will say: okay, now we’re interested.” Bahumwire adds: “The Ministry has already asked us to present our model, because it is interested in scaling it to other Mozambican cities.”

Climate resilience requires system change

In Beira it became apparent that everything is connected when building a climate-resilient city. As Bahumwire states: “It’s not just about building resilient houses and water infrastructure, it’s about changing the system.”

For the Netherlands, Beira represents a learning laboratory. “What began as technical assistance has become a partnership of equals,” reflects Gischler. “The successes in Beira show that long-term, patient collaboration works.”

Fifty years of partnership have built trust, knowledge and system change. The foundation is laid. The proof of concept is nearing delivery. Now comes the scale-up, showing that climate-resilient cities are not only about infrastructure, but also about system change. And ultimately, about giving people a place to live, thrive and stay safe.

An active delta, 140 polders and increasing climate pressures, Bangladesh faces an urgent challenge of maintaining its water infrastructure in a sustainable way. Dr. Robin Biswas of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is pioneering a shift from reactive maintenance to strategic asset management, a transformation that could shape the country’s water future.

As a river management specialist and long-time advocate for participatory water governance, Dr. Robin brings both technical insight and deep field experience. He is now working to guide BWDB’s transition from reactive operation and maintenance (O&M) towards a proactive and holistic approach: asset management (AM). This shift is not merely technical, it is systemic. For years, infrastructure development has followed a cycle of build–neglect–repair (BNR). A recent Partners for Water root cause analysis found that 90% of BWDB’s O&M budget is spent on emergency repairs, leaving little room for forward-looking budget planning.

“That cycle needs to be broken,” explains Dr. Robin “With limited funds and high demand, emergencies always take priority. But by identifying and protecting critical assets, their lifespan can be extended – delivering more reliable and cost-effective services in the long term.”

Changing needs, changing systems

The case for change is clear. Many polders were built in the 1960s and 70s. While they have provided increased water safety and security over the decades, much of the infrastructure is now aging. Meanwhile, livelihoods within these polders are shifting rapidly – from rice cultivation to shrimp farming, vegetables to cash crops – creating different water management needs. “We need infrastructure that can adapt to these realities,” says Dr. Robin. “People are changing their livelihoods, but our systems were designed for a different time.”

This is where asset management comes in. Through a structured, evidence-based approach, BWDB can make better decisions about where to invest and what to maintain. That means using limited resources more effectively, while extending the lifespan of vital infrastructure. This approach aligns with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, which highlights the need for adequate funding, strengthened institutional and governance framework and data-driven planning to ensure that infrastructure remains resilient and future-proof.

From pilot to policy: anchoring the transition

With support from the Partners for Water Program, BWDB undertook an organisational maturity scan and is now developing a roadmap to institutionalise asset management. The Asian Development Bank and BWDB are currently considering 5 new polders, with the aim to incorporate elements of the roadmap into these new polders.

This includes integrating AM principles into feasibility studies and project design phases, so that sustainability is embedded from the start. It also means ensuring that AM is not an add-on, but an institutionalised practice, championed from within. “We want this to be a lasting change,” says Dr. Robin. “That’s why we’re engaging not only our engineers, but also local communities, NGOs, knowledge institutes, departments like agriculture and fisheries and policymakers.”

A shift in mindset and governance

Unlike the Netherlands, Bangladesh’s informal economy and limited tax base mean there is no “beneficiary pays” model for water infrastructure. BWDB relies on central government funds. To secure these, it must demonstrate results and that requires effective governance, inter-agency collaboration and meaningful local participation.
“If farmers don’t understand what we’re doing, we can’t expect them to contribute or cooperate,” says Dr. Robin. “That’s why we focus on building capacity at the local level, not just among our staff, but within the community itself.” He envisions simple tools like mobile apps, local indicators and peer benchmarking to increase transparency and engagement: “If people can report issues, track performance and see the impact of their own efforts, they will take ownership.”

Looking ahead

For now, the roadmap is clear:

1. Demonstrate value
2. Build momentum
3. Align with the Bangladesh Delta Plan’s 2100 goal of raising O&M spending to 0.5% of GDP

And most importantly: keep learning, adapting and involving others. “Asset management is a way to make water infrastructure adapt with time, not get lost in it,” Dr. Robin concludes.

Want to know more about the Bangladesh asset management pilot or Partners for Water’s involvement?