Why it is in the news
On 24 September 2026, on the sidelines of the 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, India and the Netherlands signed two tripartite MoUs for technical cooperation on Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project. The signatories were the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Kalpasar Department, Government of Gujarat, with the Dutch knowledge institutions Deltares and TU Delft, at a bilateral meeting chaired by Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil and Dutch Vice Minister Jaap Slootmaker.
The exam angle
Issue: Whether a mega coastal reservoir is the right answer to Saurashtra’s water stress, and on what ecological and financial terms.