Case study: Room for the river(part two)

The most interesting thing about room for the river project is about the cooperation. The room for the river cooperation is seen as a good model in dealing with river problems.

The Dutch government discussed and made Key Plan Decision. This discussion was composed of expert group and State Secretary. Decision asked for Room for the Rivers project. At the same time, the national government will give the framework of the project, set the goals of the project, and coordinate and supervise the implementation of the project.

Authority for program development is devolved to the Department of Waterways and Public Works and the local authority, which is composed of government and experts. The general plan for the 35 nodes of the country is determined by the Ministry of Transport and Water Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, and Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment. The following localities have full power to make detailed plans for their own localities. Such plans would typically have two sets of the river Conference for discussion, selection, and improvement on the residents (including communities, residents, companies, social organizations, farmers, experts, etc.). The detailed initiatives for planning are the responsibility of the initiators, which can be the Water Board, the province, and the Municipality. Meanwhile, the Room for the River Program Office was established to implement the planning. River Branch Manager is under the jurisdiction of the Office to reflect and coordinate the situation of each river in the planning and can be directly negotiated with national institutions. At the same time, local companies can provide innovative technology for office work, and social groups and individuals can provide expertise. Any local group, such as farmers or residents, whose interests conflict with the implementation of the project can report to the office. The Office will set up an advisory board composed of professional representatives from different fields and organizations for evaluation, and conduct deduction based on advanced building block computer technology. If the appeal is right, the plan can be changed (raising the budget in real-time) to protect people’s interests. After the completion of the 2016 plan, both the flood control model and the cooperation model within the project have been highly appreciated by the international community. Experts from many countries came to the Netherlands to study the RFTR program, which in turn promoted cooperation between the Netherlands and other countries.