Delta Life magazine no 12

Published: 25 October 2019

Railways, roads and waterways: they are such natural parts of our lives that we hardly think about how disruptive climate change and natural disasters can be for our infrastructure. The dossier in this Delta Life demonstrates how important it is to think about resilient infrastructure and the role played by Deltares.

‘Water stress – whether it involves excess water, water shortages or dirty water – can be one of the factors underlying political instability. It can have an impact on people’s security or the stability of a region or country’. This is the analysis of Carola van Rijnsoever, director of inclusive green growth at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Time is pressing for small island states. Intense rainfall, heavy storms and rising sea levels are leading to flooding, the salinization of freshwater lenses and coastal erosion. These problems are often exacerbated by human activities. The centre pages of this Delta Life show the challenges faced by small (and beautiful!) islands and the solutions that Deltares is developing with our knowledge partners and clients. Population growth, international trade, travel and climate change are some of the factors resulting in increasingly frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases in humans and animals worldwide. Water-rich regions are particularly vulnerable. Marion Koopmans, professor of virology and director of One Health, is leading the multidisciplinary study of how we can prepare for those outbreaks. ‘Once we have identified the tipping points, it will be possible to predict the risk of an outbreak like a kind of rain radar and take preventive or mitigation measures.’ And what is the role of water and the subsurface in the circular economy?

This Delta Life contains more information about the solutions Deltares has developed.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue!