1. Balancing competing water claims in the Dutch South Western Delta Ms Annemarie Moons (drs.) Regional Minister for Economic Affairs, Water Safety & International Affairs Province of Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands March 2009

2. Content in brief An overview of the Dutch South Western Delta Present and future conflicting needs and claims Examples of solutions

3. The Dutch South Western Delta

6. Facts -Approx. 2.5 million people -Home of three estuaries: Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt -Many governmental agencies are involved in the region’s water management: -3 provinces: Noord-Brabant, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland -6 waterboards -3 ministries

7. Nature

8. Water provides economic opportunities

9. Strong agricultural sector due to: Fertile soil due to rich clay content Close to major agricultural industies Reliable and abundant supply of fresh water

10. Tensions, however, between water claims and uses do exist now and in the future...

11. Water quality problems Example: Cyanic algae blooms

12. Climate Change: Safety first!

13. Fresh water will become scarcer Lower and more irregular flow of the rivers Higher water use Rising sea level and increasing salinisation

14. Solutions: Safety and ecology Combine nature development and river enlargement Build broader, unbreakable dikes

15. Solutions: Tackle short term problems in combination with long term strategies

16. Solutions: co-operate! Co-operate with all the authorities involved: Agency for co-operation between 3 provinces, 3 ministries and 6 waterboards within the South Western Delta Co-operate with stakeholders

17. Thank you for your attention Wishing you a fruitful discussion!