Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Monday 13 noveMber 2017
Water wizards: Dutch flood expertise is big export business

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press
SPAKENBURG, Netherlands
(AP) — On a calm, clear
morning, historic wooden
fishing boats float tranquilly
on the glassy waters of the
Dutch harbor of Spaken-
burg. Yet just over a centu-
ry ago, they were slamming
through the houses lining
the harbor as a powerful
storm unleashed flooding
that devastated this pictur-
esque fishing village.
These days, an innova-
tive new self-raising dike
protects the village on the
edge of Eemmeer Lake, 50
kilometers (30 miles) south-
east of Amsterdam. The
300-meter (984-foot) long
barrier is concealed in the
sidewalk when not in use,
and is lifted up to 80 cen-
timeters (31 inches) by the
very floodwaters it is de-
signed to keep out.
It’s just the latest example
of Dutch ingenuity and
planning in this low-lying
nation’s constant battle In this Nov. 6, 2017, photo, a self-raising dike is seen in the Dutch fishing village of Spakenburg.
with water — and increas- Associated Press
ingly, technology like it lands that will be formally But while the costs are high, are becoming increasing- water technology and
is becoming a lucrative launched Tuesday on the expertise and technology ly valuable commodities. expertise have doubled
Dutch export. sidelines of the Bonn con- developed by the Dutch Annual exports of Dutch since 2000 to just under 8
“We live here in a very vul- ference. billion euros ($9.3 billion)
nerable place,” said Ro- The center aims to “sup- a year. “Water is an asset
eland Hillen, director of the port those who struggle to and a threat,” said Ovink.
Dutch Flood Protection Pro- put climate adaptation Recent contracts involving
gram. “We have to adapt effectively into practice in Dutch companies include
to survive.” That message all parts of the world,” the Netherlands-based Arcadis
resonates with many other government said. being selected as part of
flood-prone countries now Housing the water expertise a consortium involved in a
attending climate change center in the Netherlands 10-year “seawall resiliency
talks in Bonn, where del- was a no-brainer. Some 26 project” to strengthen a
egates from some 195 na- percent of this nation of 17 century-old San Francisco
tions have gathered to million people lies below harbor wall that protects
discuss rules for implement- sea level and 29 percent is an area including the city’s
ing the 2015 Paris climate vulnerable to river flooding. beloved Fisherman’s Wharf.
accord. The meeting in The Dutch struggle to keep Back in Spakenburg, ex-
the former German capi- the country dry has been a perts say the self-raising
tal, which runs until Friday, constant fact of life for cen- dike is a good example not
is being presided over by turies. only of new techniques for
Fiji, one of the many small The center will have bases holding back rising tides,
island nations threatened in the northern city of Gron- but also how to integrate
by rising sea levels. ingen and in a new floating such barriers in spatial plan-
“We will feel the impact of office in the port city of Rot- ning. Sinking the wall into
climate change all over terdam. the sidewalk means that it
the world most profoundly The Dutch government ear- does not spoil views of the
through water,” said Henk marks 1 billion euros ($1.16 picturesque harbor for tour-
Ovink, the Netherlands’ billion) per year to keep ists or locals. The technol-
Special Envoy for Interna- up its defenses against ogy already is being put to
tional Water Affairs, who is high water. The money is use in projects in England,
at the Bonn conference. spent on maintaining and Vietnam and China.
The Dutch government strengthening dikes and Ovink stresses that it is just
teamed up earlier this year levees and on other wa- one of a multitude of de-
with Japan and the U. N. ter mitigation measures. By fenses the Dutch have de-
Environment Program to 2050, the country aims to veloped to hold water at
create a Global Center reinforce some 1,900 kilo- bay. “There is no (single)
of Excellence on Climate meters (1,180 miles) of dikes In this Nov. 6, 2017 photo, boats are moored near the self-raising fix,” he said. “It’s a culture
Adaptation in the Nether- and levees, Hillen said. dike in the Dutch fishing village of Spakenburg, Netherlands. of living with water.”q
Associated Press