Dutch involvement in international water development projects via Masterplans Comparative case study on Beira, Jakarta & Manila Bay

Abstract

The Netherlands aspires to assist other countries across the globe in achieving safety and security regarding water. The Netherlands wants to supply researchers and consultants to countries that lack the required specialist knowledge. Recent Dutch international development cooperation has been regarding environmental degradation, by teaming up with developing countries to create three water-related Masterplans for development in vulnerable areas and promoting inclusive development. The target areas were Beira, Jakarta and Manila Bay. These three Delta areas shared problems regarding water vulnerability. Threats of flooding due to climate change, sea level rise and land subsidence were common characteristics. Other challenges were linked to rapid urbanization that led to insufficient housing, drinking water and trouble with waste and waste-water. Through semi-structured interviews and a document analysis, the plan development process and the stakeholder influence is analyzed, in terms of needs, challenges and impact. A comparison analysis between the Masterplans shows the main differences and similarities between the target areas and their needs, as well as the changes in developing the plans over a timespan of eight years. The stakeholder analysis is used to gain a better understanding of the Dutch actors and their involvement in the planning and implementation phases of the Masterplans. Masterplans can be a helpful tool for reaching water safety and security, because they offer good suggestions to deal with the urgent problems, tailored to the needs of the area. However, it is not clear if and how the local governments will proceed after the planning phase is done. The Masterplans cannot directly be linked to achieving an inclusive society. Social inclusiveness has improved during the timeline of the Masterplans, but due to local circumstances of corruption and the large scale of the plans it cannot be certain to be a large influence for an inclusive society.