Delta Commissioner’s weblog - week 34 2010
From Delta Plan to Delta Programme
The focus of the past week was almost totally on the developments in the Northern Netherlands. On Tuesday 24 August it was my honour to close the sea retaining wall in Harlingen for the first time. The completion of the flood defence retaining wall in Harlingen constitutes the final piece of the Delta Plan. It ties in with the Delta Programme in a visible and noticeable manner, “the Delta Works of the Future”. The work on our delta is after all never done.
Later, I attended a very successful evening – despite a strong wind – on the rugged tugboat ‘De Holland'. Also present were several chairs of water boards and chief engineers / directors of departments of the Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management (RWS) – our two water authorities. We spoke about the new water standards with people from the Safety sub-programme.
The two days that followed were focused on a working visit to the Wadden organised by the Wadden Region sub-programme. A very interesting visit with many of the features that are hallmarks of the Delta Programme: safety with economy in the Eemshaven, nature on Ameland, and urban development in Delfzijl in Holwerd and at Lauwers Lake. Safety with sand suppletion along the North Sea beach of Ameland where RWS will be laying 9 million cubic metres of sand over an 11-kilometre stretch of beach. In the presence of the Mayor of Ameland, I was honoured to use a shovel to place the first of this sand on the dunes.
Social involvement was visible through the participation of the Wadden Society, the organisation of embankment managers, the Society for the Preservation of Nature and the State Agency for Nature Conservation and Forestry Management. The power of the design created by using the innovative schetsschuit studio method particularly caught my attention. Once again, I learned a lot.
I was unable to visit Vlieland due to bad weather. I will do so at a later date. Three executive councillors were present. The Chair of the Wadden Region steering group Tineke Schokker (Fryslân), and also Rinske Kruisinga (Noord-Holland) and Douwe Hollenga of the province of Groningen. The chairs of three water boards were also there: Paul van Erkelens, Henk van 't Land (who in passing failed a further 22 kilometres of sea dike in the third assessment) and Luc Kohsiek, together with several members of the management boards of the water boards involved. During the dinner on Wednesday evening in Nes, we said farewell to Wim Schoorlemmer, programme director of the Wadden Region sub-programme, and I introduced Hans van der Kooi as his successor for this sub-programme. Tired but satisfied, on Thursday afternoon I drove from Delfzijl back to The Hague, that was by now partially submerged in places due to the heavy rain. The extremes are rising... I cannot even be away for just a few days.
On Friday morning I made a rather bumpy inspection flight over the South-Holland section of our delta with the Coast Guard. And saw a very wet Netherlands from the air with a cameraman from the TV current affairs show Nova on board to get some nice shots, hopefully. All this in preparation for the launch of the 1st Delta Programme... Just 22 days to go! And, given that the new Cabinet will not take office until after the 3rd Tuesday of September, the 1st National Delta Programme will be the hottest news on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament) – after the hats, of course. I’m more than ready.