India and Netherlands sign MoUs for Kalpasar Project

India and the Netherlands have strengthened their strategic water partnership through the signing of two tripartite Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) focused on the Kalpasar Project in Gujarat. The agreements were finalized during a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 9th India International Water Week 2026, co-chaired by India’s Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C R Patil, and the Netherlands’ Vice Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Jaap Slootmaker.

The MoUs involve the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Kalpasar Department of the Government of Gujarat, and Dutch knowledge institutions Deltares and TU Delft. This collaboration aims to provide technical expertise for the project’s survey, construction, and capacity-building efforts. Key areas of cooperation include hydraulic and hydrological modeling, coastal and infrastructure engineering, climate change resilience, flood protection, and digital technology.

The Kalpasar Project seeks to create a freshwater reservoir by utilizing runoff from the Sabarmati, Mahi, and Dhadhar rivers, supplemented by water from the Narmada River. This initiative follows a Letter of Intent signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands in May 2026, with a roadmap aimed at implementation by 2030.