News

The Dutch river area is vulnerable. The river nature is deteriorating, weather conditions are becoming ever more extreme, and rivers are important transport links. To improve natural resilience, hard riverbanks will be made natural again where possible. The first nature-friendly riverbank defences will be tested in the Delta Flume at Deltares in November.

COP30 is taking place in Brazil. This is the largest global United Nations event for discussions and negotiations on climate change. As world leaders gather, the need for climate action is more important than ever to keep the Paris Agreement alive. Deltares echoes the calls for climate action and implementation. Although not on-site this time, we will be present at several sessions over the coming days, focusing on a range of topics and featuring several programmes.

Cities face a major challenge: how to adapt to a changing climate, reduce harmful emissions and create a sustainable and just future for all? Deltares has published two new papers with insights for cities on how to make smart choices for a climate resilient future. We aim to provide practical tools to support decision makers.

Bregje van Wesenbeeck has been appointed as professor Nature-based Solutions for flood risk and climate adapation at the TU Delft.

What is the effect of a shallow foreshore on wave overtopping in hydraulic engineering structures? Deltares is investigating this under the leadership of coastal engineering expert Menno de Ridder. In a test setup in the Deltares experimental facilities, he is testing whether a shallow foreshore can break waves before they reach a breakwater. This could be a climate-adaptive measure that helps engineers and hydraulic engineers design resilient infrastructure.

Deltares has published the final Activity Plan SITO Institute Grant 2026. The Activity Plan outlines the main features of the Strategic Research that Deltares will carry out in 2026.

How can we improve weir management in the River Meuse to make it easier for migratory fish to pass? This is the key issue in the ‘fish friendly weir management’ project – a collaboration between Deltares and Rijkswaterstaat South Netherlands.

The severe flooding in Limburg in 2021 underscored the urgent need for the Netherlands to better prepare for large-scale extreme rainfall events. In response, Deltares, commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, has developed a national water impact assessment. This study explores the consequences if an extreme rainfall event—200 mm in 48 hours—were to occur simultaneously across other provinces. In some areas, floodwaters could persist for several weeks, while in others, localised depths could exceed one metre.

In collaboration with other researchers, government authorities and consultancies, Deltares is going to overhaul the WFD Explorer. The WFD Explorer is an important tool that water managers use to determine which measures are needed to improve ecological water quality. The new version is intended to make more informed decisions possible relating to the recovery of plants, fish and other aquatic organisms.

Do you have a design concept that could transform the world of water, soil or infrastructure? Then this is your opportunity. Starting in October, Deltares opens registration for the Autumn 2025 edition of the SME Challenge: a recurring initiative that invites Dutch start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises to test and further develop their innovative concepts at Deltares.

A new comprehensive international guidance document for implementing source-to-sea water management in transboundary basins has been published by UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe). Compiled by an international group of experts, Deltares contributed several case studies to the document.

How can the natural water storage capacity of landscapes be restored? This ‘sponge function’ of the landscape is important for storing surplus rain water, replenishing groundwater reserves and protecting biodiversity. The European Union is investigating how to achieve this goal in the Horizon Europe programme. Deltares is involved in two of the three research projects: SpongeScapes and SpongeWorks