Rotterdam, 30 September 2010 - today, representatives from 6 countries signed the Delta Alliance declaration, a statement on the value of the world's deltas and the importance of international cooperation for improving their resilience. Representatives of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, The Netherlands, USA and Vietnam signed the declaration, followed by the coordinators of Delta Alliance. The declaration is now available online for anyone around the world to sign. The organization expects thousands of people from institutes, NGO's, governments and the private sector to do so via www.delta-alliance.org. This declaration was presented at a special event at the conference Deltas in Times of Climate Change in Rotterdam.
At the declaration event in Rotterdam, all representatives were present to talk about their shared mission. Ms. Tineke Huizinga, the Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, talked about the importance of international cooperation in adaptation to climate change, stating that "international cooperation, sharing knowledge, and exchanging ideas about water management and policy are vital for peace, security, and prosperity in our deltas."
Also, the 3 winning teams of the DeltaCompetition 2010 'Delta City of the Future' were presented. Students from Indonesia and the USA won 3000 USD and a trip to Rotterdam to present their ideas on how urbanized deltas can respond to climate change during the Deltas in Times of Climate Change conference.
Delta Alliance is an international community dedicated to improving the resilience of deltas worldwide. So far there are four network wings: California, The Netherlands, Vietnam and Indonesia. Wings in other delta countries will follow next year. Mr. Fauzi Bowo, Governor of Jakarta was also present and he talked about adaptive measures which have been taken and continue to be taken to anticipate climate change, specifically on the problem of flooding. Flooding effects all aspects of life and especially poor people suffer the consequences in Jakarta. There are several projects going on to support them, including Jakarta Flood Management Program and Jakarta Sea Defense Project.
Delta Alliance was officially announced in 2009 at the Climate conference in Copenhagen. The Delta Alliance works together with the World Estuary Alliance and Connecting Delta Cities. The overarching objective is to support the development and dissemination of new and existing knowledge on how river delta regions may respond to the challenges that they face, in particular those that come with a changing climate. More information:
www.delta-alliance.org
Information about the three winners of the Delta Competition:
- Ecology as Industry
From: Haein Lee, Harvard University, U.S.A., Landscape Architecture.
Motivation: Although a known idea, this is very well elaborated and shows a strong vision. It is considered a regional plan with a clear focus on ecology.
- Groundwater zoning as spatial planning in Semarang
From: Novi Rahmawati, Gadjah Mada University, Indondesia, Water Resource Management
Motivation: Well signaled problem, very relevant in the region: subsidence. The proposed solution is considered applicable and challenges the biggest threat of the region (also present in many other deltas).
- The Big Leak: Adaptive responses to New Orleans' land subsidence crisis
From: David Wooden, Virginia University, U.S.A., Landscape Architecture
Motivation: An intelligent combination of water (infiltration) to combat subsidence. A well presented integrated solution and very applicable.