Mumbai, July 2 A day after Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak cited to Mumbaiites the example of the people of The Netherlands who "have learns to live with floods', diplomats from the The Netherlands pointed out tersely that the Dutch had overcome the devastating floods of 1953 and could quite easily offer Mumbai's administrators some advice on how to tackle the elements. Consul Jan F van Vriesland on Wednesday wrote to Newsline commenting on Phatak's statement, stating that following the 1953 floods that claimed thousands of lives, the government had embarked on extensive engineering projects to hold back the seas, projects that have been immensely successful. On Tuesday, after heavy showers lashed the city and inundated chronic flooding spots, Phatak had said that in the Netherlands, where large tracts are below average sea level, people had learns to live with it since they could not cope with the situation. "The fact that The Netherlands today are still what they are after the floods of 1953 receded and even more land has been reclaimed from the sea, proves that the projects have been highly successful,' the e-mail said. It also offered information on companies with specialised experience that could offer assistance to Mumbai, which is still to convert the tragedy of July 26, 2005 to an opportunity for change. "To learn more about how the Dutch overcame the threat of flooding, amongst others please visit www.deltawerken.com and for commercial advice and assistance in the fight against the elements, please contact the commercial section of the Consulate,' the letter continued. With two thirds of The Netherlands lying below sea level, the country is flood-prone. When contacted, Phatak said the BMC would certainly take assistance from The Netherlands. "We will take help from them in due course and I am studying their website which gives details about floods,' he said. "But there is no hurry, as monsoons have already begun now.' He said he was not aware if the Consulate officials had written to the BMC as well.