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Developments in the delta
At that time, there were a number of extreme
events that accelerated developments that were
already in place. Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and
Sandy inflicted major damage on the coast of the
United States. Persistent drought in the western
United States made people aware that even
economically strong countries were not immune
to the consequences of climate change. In
conjunction with the reduction in supplies of
water as a result of climate change, demand for
water actually increased throughout the world
due to rapid economic growth in Southeast Asia,
Africa and South America and the associated
rapid increase in demand for food. In addition,
energy supplies placed ever increasing demands
on water reserves. During the same period,
subsurface risks acquired a prominent position
on the agenda because of earthquakes in
Groningen caused by gas extraction and the
increasingly obvious effects of land subsidence.
The National Information Facility for Soil
Movement made grateful use of innovative
‘remote sensing techniques’ from satellites,
planes and drones to raise the information and
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Deltares Strategic Plan