Pekalongan, Dutch authorities to cooperate in coastal flooding control
Central Java's Pekalongan City authority has inked the Blue Deal Programme cooperation agreement with the Dutch government to address the flooding and coastal flooding issues plaguing the city. "We are grateful for the Blue Deal cooperation agreement with the Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) because the issues in Pekalongan are complex," Pekalongan Mayor Afzan Arslan Djunaid stated here on Friday.
The Blue Deal Programme is initiated by the Dutch government to assist cities across the world in tackling flood and coastal flooding issues. According to Djunaid, the Netherlands is one of the countries that had successfully addressed flood and coastal flooding issues, with situations disparate from those of Pekalongan.
The mayor highlighted hundreds of years of experience in coastal flooding and high-tide mitigation possessed by the Dutch Water Authorities, thereby making them a suitable partner for the Pekalongan authority to seek assistance and support for the city's flood and coastal flooding mitigation infrastructure development.
"We hope that experience and knowledge in mitigating flood and coastal flooding issues that the Dutch Water Authorities have can be shared and benefit Pekalongan City," Djunaid remarked.
DWA visited Kota Pekalongan on June 3, 2022 (Source: Pekalongan Kota documentation)
Meanwhile, Dutch Water Authorities representative Peter Hollanges affirmed that his team's presence in Pekalongan aims to develop long-term cooperation in water management with the municipal authority.
"We want to share our knowledge and help the local authority to conceive sustainable water management," Hollanges stated. He expressed optimism that the technical competencies and work ethics of the water authority would influence the Pekalongan authority in addressing municipal issues through the involvement of all aspects of society.
The representative stated that the Blue Deal cooperation will be implemented from June 3, 2022, until 2023. "We hope that all members of society would take part to ensure (the problem resolution) could be properly implemented. The Pekalongan authority is also keen to explore the water management issues, particularly related to the embankment construction and maintenance and concerning the flood and coastal flooding issues," he remarked.
