Recent flood assistance leads to close collaboration between Kazakhstan and IHE Delft
Sparked by developments following massive flooding in April, Kazakhstan and IHE Delft recently signed a cooperation agreement that will increase capacity development by sharing water knowledge and technology.
The agreement was one of two Memoranda of Understanding signed by Kazakh officials and Dutch Ambassador Nico Schermers. The Memorandum of Understanding involving IHE Delft, signed by First Vice-Minister Bolat Bekniyaz and the ambassador on behalf of Rector Eddy Moors, outlines cooperation to train specialists and share science and innovative technologies in the water industry.
The other memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation between the Netherlands and Kazakhstan, including in relation to the construction and utilization of water facilities, flood forecasting and the planning of flood control measures.
Building resilience
Moors noted that the Kazakh authorities took appropriate action during the recent disaster, which took place on a scale never seen before.
“Unfortunately, climate change is making such large-scale and extreme weather events more and more likely,” he said. “Working together we can help each other address such huge calamities when they happen and build resilience both in our cities and our rural areas to mitigate the damage.”
“Working together we can help each other address such huge calamities when they happen and build resilience both in our cities and our rural areas to mitigate the damage.”
The cooperation agreement is in line with IHE Delft’s mission to increase capacity development worldwide, especially in regions affected by flooding, drought and challenges to clean and safe water.
Emergency response
In April, the Kazakh authorities requested support from the Netherlands in coordinating their emergency response following massive floods. In an interview on Kazakh television, IHE Delft Associate Professor of Hydraulic Engineering Fredrik Huthoff who led the Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction and Surge Support team said, “The idea is to have research, an exchange of scientific knowledge, an exchange of academics, technology and techniques. Looking at how the Netherlands is doing things here and how flood management is being carried out in Kazakhstan. We now have this MoU and we have identified specific topics in which we want to start exchanging our expertise.”
“The idea is to have research, an exchange of scientific knowledge, an exchange of academics, technology and techniques,”
Huthoff wrote a report on the support provided by the team and the plan for mitigating future floods. The assistance of the DRRS team in Astana and the reassurance provided by the technical team in the Netherlands also supported the Kazakh officials handling the crisis.
IHE Delft commitment to capacity development
IHE Delft is committed to capacity development. At the UN World Water Conference in 2023, the Institute signed up to 15 Water Action Agenda commitments, many of them relating to capacity development, including the Capacity Development Initiative and the Global Water Education Network.
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