The Netherlands highlighted at international seminar on the challenges facing the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region

The Netherlands highlighted at international seminar on the challenges facing the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region

🇳🇱🤝🇧🇷💧🌐 With the participation of Deltares and representation from NBSO Porto Alegre, the Netherlands was prominently featured at the 1st International Seminar – Challenges for Economic, Sustainable and Resilient Growth in the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region, highlighting the value of international cooperation in addressing the challenges facing the development of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in Southern Brazil.

📍 Held on 8 September by Granpal – Associação dos Municípios da Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, which brings together more than 30 municipalities, at Instituto Caldeira in Porto Alegre, the event brought together mayors, public-sector leaders, experts and representatives from different sectors to discuss pathways towards a more integrated, competitive, sustainable and resilient region.

🌊 The highlight of the international programme was a presentation by Dennis Gambarine, engineer and project manager at Deltares, a Dutch institute internationally recognised for applied research in water, subsurface and infrastructure. For nearly a century, the institute has developed knowledge and solutions for water-related and climate challenges, with a global reach and a team of more than 900 professionals representing over 60 nationalities.

🔬 In his session, Dennis shared the Netherlands’ experience in water-related risk management and highlighted an integrated approach to resilience: infrastructure, nature, planning, governance and technical knowledge must work together. Among Deltares’ key tools is FloodAdapt, which, based on scientifically rigorous models, has supported cities around the world in understanding flood risks and planning adaptation measures.

💡 The expert summarised the approach by noting that resilience does not mean eliminating risk, but understanding, reducing and managing it.

DUTCH KNOWLEDGE IN RESPONSE TO RIO GRANDE DO SUL’S CLIMATE CHALLENGES

🌧️ This approach directly resonates with the challenges facing Rio Grande do Sul, particularly following the historic floods and a succession of extreme weather events in recent years. In a metropolitan region exposed to impacts that extend beyond municipal boundaries, effective responses require integration, technical knowledge, long-term planning and cooperation.

🤝 The event also featured Sebastião Melo, Mayor of Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Alegre and President of the National Confederation of Brazilian Municipalities (Frente Nacional de Prefeitas e Prefeitos); Douglas Martello, Mayor of Alvorada and President of Granpal; and Márcio Lacerda, former Mayor of Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, among other leaders.

🇳🇱 Representing NBSO Porto Alegre, Deputy Representative Lucila Almeida took part in the seminar, strengthening dialogue with strategic stakeholders in the region. The initiative reflects the office’s role in connecting companies, knowledge institutions and organisations from the Netherlands with the needs of Southern Brazil.