THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala can benefit a lot from the experiences of the Netherlands in flood mitigation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. He was releasing a book titled ‘Pralayam, Prathirodham, Punarnirmanam: Padikkaam Dutch Paadangal’ (English version: ‘What We Can Learn From The Dutch - Rebuilding Kerala Post 2018 Floods’), penned by former ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony and Rakesh N M. “Flooding in Kuttanad region can be addressed using the experiences of the Netherlands, which has a similar topography.
While the Netherlands implements a project within no time, we lag behind due to inadequacies in our system,” the chief minister said. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, who received the first copy of the book, said the state should be equipped to tackle disasters according to climate change.
M V Shreyams Kumar, MP, who presided over the function, said the book explains how water can be utilised as a precious natural resource.
Former chief minister Oommen Chandy said the contents are very relevant to Kerala, at a time when the state continues to face a series of natural calamities. Rajamony, in his introduction to the book, says people of the Netherlands are aware that water is an integral part of their life.