Netherlands offers support for flood risk mitigation

The Netherlands has expressed their eagerness to support Bangladesh in land reclamation and river dredging for mitigating long-term flood risks.

This was conveyed to Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal during his meeting with the Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz in The Hague on Tuesday.

During the meeting, both the Dutch minister and the Bangladesh envoy expressed satisfaction at the expanding and fast growing bilateral relations between the two countries, according to a message received from The Hague yesterday.

They especially mentioned the momentum in the relations following the official visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Netherlands in November 2015 and the twin-ministerial visit to Bangladesh in June 2015 by Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen.

Referring to the signing of three important instruments between the two sides in June 2015 on resilient and sustainable delta management for a prosperous Bangladesh, collaboration in land reclamation and land accretion in Bangladesh, and partnership on knowledge and innovation for sustainable development, the Dutch minister assured Bangladesh ambassador of taking measures for early implementation of the instruments specially on land reclamation and accretion.

Both sides agreed to initiate commencing pilot or demonstration projects in this regard, specifically on land reclamation in and around Chittagong Port.