Kolkata, Oct 13 (PTI) A study funded by the Netherlands to develop nature-based solutions for coastal erosion and dyke construction for flood management in the Sundarbans has been completed, with the West Bengal government considering a World Bank loan to extend the work to a larger area of the forest.
Honorary Consul of the Netherlands Namit Shah said on the sidelines of an ICC event that a closing report on the project was submitted to the state’s Water Resources Investigation and Development Department on Monday.
“The study of the identified pilot projects has been completed successfully. The projects, designed for selected vulnerable areas of the delta region, focus on integrating mangroves with strategically designed embankments to strengthen coastal defences against erosion, floods and recurring cyclones. It is now up to the state government, which intends to implement these projects with World Bank support,” Shah said.
The project, initiated in 2023, was funded entirely by the Dutch government.
The approach envisages retaining mangroves as the first line of defence before constructing embankments designed to withstand severe weather events, Shah explained.
He did not disclose the project’s cost, saying he did not have a figure to share.
A team of five to six experts had made four to five visits to the world’s largest mangrove forest during the exercise.
The proposed World Bank loan would be a separate arrangement being pursued by the West Bengal government on the basis of the pilot project’s outcomes, Shah said.
The initiative comes amid broader cooperation between the Netherlands and West Bengal in water management, sustainable tourism and heritage conservation.
Meanwhile, Netherlands Ambassador to India Marisa Louisa Gerards has highlighted the scope for expanding bilateral ties with West Bengal, including sustainable ecotourism in the Sundarbans, heritage restoration along the Ganges and technical cooperation in water management.
Recalling her visit to the Sundarbans, Gerards praised the resilience of island communities and highlighted the water management expertise brought to the region by Dutch engineering firms.
In a separate tourism initiative, a Dutch ecotourism expert spent two weeks working with the West Bengal Tourism Board to assess ecotourism models used by the Netherlands in the Caribbean and explore their potential adaptation to the Sundarbans.
The Sundarbans, a low-lying delta region spread across India and Bangladesh, is particularly vulnerable to cyclones, tidal surges, flooding and coastal erosion, making mangrove conservation and resilient embankments crucial to protecting its settlements and fragile ecosystem. PTI BSM NN
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