Delta Academy 001

The Delta Academy of the Myanmar-Netherlands Water Challenge 2016 was not to be missed in Yangon last week as a long line of orange umbrellas could be seen marching the city waterfront, port site and even the rural townships across the river. Moreover, anyone listening-in on the action indoors could have easily mistaken it for the local food market as teams were passionately bargaing their deals (note: after this week, the word polderen has been officially adopted into the Myanmar language!).

It all started on Tuesday 10 May as forty selected students and young professionals from nine universities and institutes across Myanmar came together for a 3-day intensive program to learn about sustainable delta development. Through a rich program of case studies, field trips, guest lectures and team assignments they were taken on a journey through the delta: analysing the typical challenges and opportunities of the delta, understanding the underlying drivers, weighing the interests of stakeholders and developing their own ideas and solutions.

Delta Academy 002

Under the Smart Delta theme, participants worked in four teams, representing key stakeholders in the delta: Smart Port, Smart River, Smart City and Smart Village. Each team had to analyse its own particular challenges and come up with possible solutions. In doing so, negotiating with the other teams and finding common ground was critical to achieve integrated solutions that balanced the interests of all stakeholders (note: after the word prikstok, the verb polderen has now also officially been adopted into the Myanmar language!).

Throughout the program, the teams were supported by senior experts from the Dutch partners: Johan Kabout and Tanya Huizer from Arcadis, Hanne van den Berg from Deltares, Mark van der Hoeven and Barbara Malecka from Van Oord, Eisse Wijma and Thet Oo Mon from Royal HaskoningDHV and Aung Myint Oo from the Netherlands Embassy.

Delta Academy 003

Logos Partners

The Delta Academy program was closed with a Grand Final on 12 May where the teams presented their ideas and solutions on the big stage to senior representatives from ministries, NGO's, universities, World Bank, WHO, KOICA, local private companies, Yangon City Development Committee and Myanmar Port Authority.

As each team took the stage to pitch their ideas, they were interrogated and judged by a panel of distinguished experts, consisting of Mrs. Carola Baller, Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands Embassy (chair of the panel), Dr. Zaw Lwin Tun, Director Irrigation Department, Dr. Myo Nyein Aye, Deputy General Manager Myanmar Port Authority, U Khin Latt, Senior Engineer NEPS and U Bobby MG, CEO Network Activities Group (NAG). Ultimately, they announced the Smart River team as the winning team.

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Singapore - 1st Edition
Singapore
Singapore - 1st Edition
The first edition of the Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge challenged young talent to apply the main principles of Building with Nature in four different contexts.
Australia - 1st Edition
Australia
Australia - 1st Edition
AUSTRALIA LIVING WITH FLOODS was the theme of the first edition of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge. The theme reflects an important dimension of the approach that Australia and the Netherlands are taking to address water-related challenges, such as floods and droughts, focused on "living with" rather than just "fighting against" water.
China - 1st Edition
China
China - 1st Edition
The first Holland Water Challenge took place during the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. Marking the official opening of the Holland Water Week at the Netherlands Pavilion.
China - 2nd Edition
China
China - 2nd Edition
The second China-Netherlands Water Challenge in 2011-2012 invited students to submit innovative proposals in response to four cases as presented by the lead partners: Evides, Norit, TU Delft and the Province of South-Holland.
Singapore - 2nd Edition
Singapore
Singapore - 2nd Edition
The second edition of the Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge focused on climate change adapation - an area which features high on the agenda of both Singapore and the Netherlands and one of key research topics of NUSDeltares - a research centre set-up between the National University of Singapore and Deltares from the Netherlands.
Australia - 2nd Edition
Australia
Australia - 2nd Edition
Focus of the second Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge was on two specific dimensions of the information chain: (1) the potential of social media as a source of data (crowd-sourcing), and; (2) the potential of apps that enable people to make better informed water-related decisions.
Indonesia - 1st Edition
Indonesia
Indonesia - 1st Edition
The development of coasts and ports is of national importance to both Indonesia and the Netherlands. The first edition of the Indonesia-Netherlands Water Challenge invited students to explore innovative solutions for Jakarta Bay, balancing the interests of People, Planet and Profit.
Singapore - 3rd Edition
Singapore
Singapore - 3rd Edition
Taking on the urban water challenges of the 21st century needs vision and leadership, something Singapore and the Netherlands have learnt over many years. The 3rd Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge challenged students to develop and express their personal vision and leadership on urban water management in the 21st century.
Australia - 3rd Edition
Australia
Australia - 3rd Edition
The third edition of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge focused on a key area in which Australia and the Netherlands want to work together which is to strengthen the resilience of their countries in the face of climate extremes. The program considered innovative ideas for resilience in the built, natural, social and economic environment.
Myanmar - 1st Edition
Myanmar
Myanmar - 1st Edition
Under the theme SMART DELTA, the first edition of the Myanmar-Netherlands Water Challenge is engaging students in Myanmar with the challenges of sustainable delta development. Students are encouraged to develop ideas and solutions for the Ayeyarwady Delta, supported by professional experts from the Dutch partners.
Indonesia - 2nd Edition
Indonesia
Indonesia - 2nd Edition
Under the theme BLUE-GREEN CITIES, the 2016 program engages students and young professionals with the challenges of sustainable city development in Indonesia.
Myanmar - 2nd Edition
Myanmar
Myanmar - 2nd Edition
Building on the first SMART DELTA edition of the Myanmar water challenge, the program in 2018 features two thematic tracks addressing key challenges for Yangon city: SMART PORT and HTEE CITY.
Myanmar - 2nd Edition
Myanmar
Myanmar - 2nd Edition
Building on the first SMART DELTA edition of the Myanmar water challenge, the program in 2018 features two thematic tracks addressing key challenges for Yangon city: SMART PORT and HTEE CITY.
Indonesia - 3rd Edition
Indonesia
Indonesia - 3rd Edition
You will be introduced to eco-smart port concept. Analyse current status of the port in Indonesia against the metrics of eco-smart port concept, consult to local people.
Indonesia - 4th Edition
Indonesia
Indonesia - 4th Edition
Indonesia Healthy Rivers Challenge 2020: Contribute to original ideas and solutions towards the sustainable development of river basins.
Indonesia - 5th Edition
Indonesia
Indonesia - 5th Edition
UNESCO Water Resilience Challenge: Recognizing the Role of Young People in Sustainable Development.