India, Netherlands sign Kalpasar project agreement to deepen water partnership

India and the Netherlands on Thursday signed two tripartite memorandums of understanding for technical cooperation and capacity building for the Kalpasar project in Gujarat, as both countries moved to further strengthen their strategic partnership in the water sector.

The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the ninth India International Water Week 2026 in New Delhi. They bring together the Central Water Commission, the Gujarat government’s Kalpasar Department, and Dutch knowledge institutions Deltares and TU Delft for cooperation linked to the project.

Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil and Netherlands Vice Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management Jaap Slootmaker chaired a bilateral meeting on the strategic partnership at Bharat Mandapam. The meeting focused on strengthening India-Netherlands cooperation in the water sector, especially technical cooperation for advancing the Kalpasar project.

Patil said the MoUs with Deltares and TU Delft would deepen cooperation in execution of the Kalpasar project and capacity building, and provide a strong basis for both countries to work together for its successful execution.

He said the project was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands in May this year, after which a Letter of Intent for technical cooperation was signed on May 16.

According to Patil, the project envisages the creation of a freshwater reservoir using runoff from the Sabarmati, Mahi and Dhadhar rivers, supplemented by water brought from the Narmada river.

He also said an Indian delegation’s visit to the Netherlands in July gave valuable insights into flood protection, coastal infrastructure, hydraulic modelling, sluice and pumping systems, dyke technologies and ecological solutions.

Patil also highlighted parallels with the Netherlands’ Afsluitdijk in terms of engineering, water management and coastal infrastructure.

Slootmaker said the Letter of Intent on technical cooperation for the Kalpasar project provides opportunities for further India-Netherlands cooperation.

The MoUs will support technical collaboration through the sharing of Dutch expertise and advanced engineering practices for the planning, design and implementation of the project. Cooperation with Deltares will cover technical review, hydraulic and hydrological modelling, coastal and structural engineering, climate resilience, capacity building, knowledge transfer and digital applications.

The ninth India International Water Week is being held at Bharat Mandapam from September 22 to 26 with the theme, “Climate Resilient Water Management”.

The agreements signed during the event are aimed at taking forward India-Netherlands cooperation on the Kalpasar project through technical support and training.