Why PM Modi Visited The Afsluitdijk: The Dutch Water Model India Is Studying

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday ended his two-day trip to the Netherlands by visiting the iconic Afsluitdijk dam, calling the project “groundbreaking” while hailing the water management structure as a “pioneering work”.

PM Modi said the Netherlands has done pioneering work in water resources, adding that the global community can learn from its experience.

An area in which the Netherlands has done pioneering work is water resources. There is a lot the entire global community can learn from them.

This morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Afsluitdijk and understand the salient features of this project. I am thankful to PM… pic.twitter.com/dYFfiAuzKZ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 17, 2026

“An area in which the Netherlands has done

groundbreaking work is water management. The entire international community can learn a great deal from this. This morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Afsluitdijk and gain insight into the key features of this project. I am grateful to Prime Minister Rob Jetten for accompanying me here. We are committed to bringing modern technology to India, which is intended to help with irrigation, flood protection, and the expansion of the inland waterway network, ” he said in a post on X.

Significance of Netherlands’ Afsluitdijk dam For India’s Kalpasar Project

During the visit, PM Modi said he had inspected the key features of the dam, which had for over 90 years shielded the low-lying country from floods.

The Afsluitdijk, a 32-kilometre-long dam and causeway, is a global benchmark in flood control and land reclamation, protecting large parts of the Netherlands from the North Sea while enabling freshwater storage.

Meanwhile, India’s Kalpasar project aims to construct a 30-kilometre dam across the Gulf of Khambhat to create what may become the world’s largest freshwater reservoir in a marine environment.

The MEA in its statement highlighted the dam’s direct engineering relevance to Gujarat’s ambitious Kalpasar Project. “The Kalpasar project aims to create a freshwater reservoir across the Gulf of Khambhat, integrating tidal power generation, irrigation, and transportation infrastructure,” it stated.

According to Times of India, the reservoir would store around 10 billion cubic metres of freshwater sourced from rivers including the Narmada, Mahi, Sabarmati and Dhadar. The stored water would be used for irrigation, drinking water supply and industrial requirements, especially in water-stressed regions of Saurashtra and parts of South Gujarat. As part of the project, there will be a 10-lane transport corridor over the dam, reducing travel distances between Saurashtra and South Gujarat by more than 200 kilometres.

In this regard, the two sides welcomed the signing of the Letter of Intent between Ministry of Jal Shakti of India and Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands for technical cooperation on the Kalpasar project.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X: “A symbol of engineering excellence and innovation! Accompanied by PM Rob Jetten of the Netherlands, PM @narendramodi visited the iconic Afsluitdijk Dam, a symbol of Dutch excellence in water management, flood protection and freshwater storage. The visit highlighted the relevance of Dutch expertise for India’s Kalpasar Project in Gujarat, which aims to create a freshwater reservoir and dam near the Gulf of Khambhat.”