Flash floods are common in the border areas of Haskovo region, in the Republic of Bulgaria, and Edirne region, Turkey. First response is essential in case of these kinds of emergencies, which is why an EU-funded project has facilitated collaboration between emergency response authorities from both regions by organising joint training courses and field exercises, raising public awareness and providing up-to-date rescue equipment and vehicles.
- 27 May 2019
“Floods around the project region have shown the importance of a joint flood risk management, since water does not respect national borders. Floods in Turkey and Bulgaria are a cross-border problem that requires cross-border solutions: during the project’s implementation, first responders in the region have developed strong relations and shared knowledge to enhance future cooperation between the project partners in case of floods.”
The project helped improve the region’s operational efficiency and capacity for joint action to deal with flooding. Bulgarian and Turkish national and local authorities are increasingly working together more effectively. First response teams are better equipped and prepared to handle floods and protect the local population. The project’s implementation has led to more effective prevention efforts and coordination by rescue units on both sides of the border.
New material
Through EU-funding, new, modern equipment has been acquired for rescue teams to help them do their jobs. Rescue divers received new dry suits and 100 mobile flood barriers – a total length of 1 km – will help reduce flooding impact. A special-purpose vehicle for the transportation and installation of those barriers is operational in the region. Other material includes rescue vehicles such as a multicopter drone, a rescue boat and an underwater robot.
Common problems, common solutions
Because both sides of the border suffer from the same problem, several meetings at management and expert level were conducted to better understand internal procedures of both national institutions. This led to the creation and joint adoption of a harmonised standard operational procedure to align emergency response actions in case of floods.
Two joint training courses and field exercises were organised at each side of the border to optimise the reaction time and operational capacities of both Bulgarian and Turkish first responders. Local authorities were included in the project through a public seminar on topics related to flood risk management and reaction efficiency.
To minimise human casualties and reduce other risks to the regional population of over 200 000 inhabitants, public awareness campaigns about proper behaviour in case of floods were conducted.
Due to their geographical run-off conditions, the Maritsa, Arda and Tundja rivers that flow through the Haskovo-Edirne area, are vulnerable to climate hazards such as heavy rain, thunderstorms and intensive snowmelt. Recent years have seen more extreme weather events that have caused more soil erosion and sedimentation than usual, significantly reducing the river beds’ volume. The resulting increase in floods cause enormous damage to populated and industrial areas, and often destroy productive agricultural lands.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Cross-border cooperation for preparedness and reaction in case of floods” is EUR 589 017, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 500 665 through the “Interreg IPA CBC Bulgaria – Turkey” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Jobs, growth and investment”.