Deltares Strategic Plan 2015-2018

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Developments in the delta 1
ment and food supplies. The Dutch Delta
Programme turned out to be an excellent step in
the right direction. The Netherlands developed
into the globe’s ‘Sustainable high-tech delta’ in
the fields of water and the subsurface, and this
proved to be a major boost for business.
Today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions
Let us return to the present. Because the
developments in 2050 mean that we need to
start right now. Deltares is willing and able to
make a genuine contribution to these major
social challenges. We focus on flood risk
management, water quality, the availability of
water and the subsurface. That is our ‘core
business’. We have been developing knowledge
and solutions for years. The opportunities and
threats afforded by water and the subsurface
are highly important preconditions for sustain-
able life in the delta, and that includes the long
term.
‘Enabling Delta Life’ is what we stand for, now
and in 2050. Our work has considerable impact.
We want to enhance our knowledge and to put it
into practice immediately. We do this by testing
solutions and making them feasible. For
example by predicting local freshwater short-
ages and thinking about how to store fresh
water in the ground. We map out the impact of
human activities on water and the subsurface,
and describe alternatives. We develop new and
sustainable ways of protecting specific areas
and people from the encroaching water and land
subsidence. Adaptation is the underlying
principle here, not just for the solutions we
devise but also for our working methods. It is
better to adapt to new conditions than to fight
them. Flexibility is becoming an important
principle for life in the delta. Above all, the
‘survival of the fittest’ means that the most
adaptive species will sur idea will
guide our focus in the ye e.
‘Enabling Delta Life’
is what we stand for,
now and in 2050
Deltares Strategic Plan 13