THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan paid a field visit to inspect and directly understand the Dutch model to address the issue of flooding. The ‘Room for the River’ project at Noordward has been designed with a goal to give the river more room.
This will enable better management of higher water levels during floods and will ensure safety for those living here. The measures are designed to improve the quality of one’s immediate surroundings.
The Chief Minister’s visit comes in the wake of the mid-August floods that jolted the state last year. The Kerala delegation will observe whether such a model can be replicated in low-lying regions like Kuttanad, Alappuzha.
The Chief Minister also held a series of meetings with Dutch experts in water management. The extensive interaction had 20 representatives from Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, as well as leading Dutch companies and knowledge institutions from agriculture and water sector, brought together by VNO-NCW, the Confederation of Netherlands’ Industry and Employers (the Dutch Employers’ Federation). During their interaction, they expressed interest in expanding collaboration with Kerala and supporting the state in achieving its development goals.
Collaboration to digitise records
The Netherlands will collaborate with the state for preserving and digitizing Dutch records here. The decision was taken during a meeting between the Chief Minister and M L Engelhard, Director, National Archives of the Netherlands.
Pinarayi holds talks with Dutch Minister
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held talks with Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands. The duo discussed possible collaboration in the field of water and flood risk reduction management and port.