Gandhinagar, May 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy from May 15 to 20, 2026. During his time in the Netherlands, he discussed several agreements with Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel shared multiple photos of PM Modi with his Dutch counterpart.
According to the Gujarat Chief Minister’s office, during this visit, he specifically reviewed the historic Afsluitdijk Dam, which serves as a global role model for Gujarat’s ambitious Kalpsar Project. India and the Netherlands exchanged a Letter of Intent (LoI) for technical cooperation on the significant Kalpsar Project, aimed at strengthening mutual collaboration in water management and infrastructure development.
The technical excellence and innovative energy model of this 32-kilometer Dutch dam are crucial for transforming saline water bays into large reservoirs of fresh water, renowned worldwide. The Netherlands’ advanced engineering expertise will guide Gujarat’s Kalpsar Project.
Plans for creating a large freshwater reservoir near the Gulf of Khambhat are gaining momentum. The Kalpsar Project aims to connect Saurashtra with South Gujarat via the Gulf of Khambhat while establishing a significant freshwater reserve. Following a meeting with the Dutch Ambassador during his visit to Gujarat on March 30, 2026, discussions about forming an Indo-Dutch expert group and government-to-government partnerships took place.
The Netherlands will leverage over 90 years of experience and expertise from its globally recognized Afsluitdijk Dam project to benefit India.
With Dutch expertise and technical assistance, the strategic partnership between the two countries in the water sector can be further strengthened.
In a social media post, Bhupendra Patel stated that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the iconic Afsluitdijk Dam with Prime Minister Rob Jetten marks a significant step towards deepening India-Netherlands cooperation in water management, climate change resilience, and sustainable infrastructure.
He noted that the signing of the intent letter for technical cooperation between India’s Ministry of Water Power and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is a historic event. This collaboration will open new opportunities for advanced water engineering, freshwater conservation, flood management, and integrated infrastructure development in Gujarat.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the Afsluitdijk is a global benchmark in water engineering, turning challenges into opportunities through innovation and visionary thinking. Similarly, Gujarat’s ambitious Kalpsar Project envisions creating a vast freshwater reservoir across the Gulf of Khambhat, which will yield extensive benefits in irrigation, water security, tidal energy, connectivity, and regional development.
He expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Modi for continuously bringing global expertise, future-oriented technologies, and transformative partnerships to accelerate India’s development path. Under his visionary leadership, India is adopting world-class innovations to create a climate-resilient and water-secure future for generations to come.
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