Flood risk management improvement on the Mures River in the cross border area

The current project is proposed by a partnership between Mures Water Administration (ABAM) and Lower Tisa Water Directorate (ATIVIZIG) in order to tackle common challenges identified in the Mures River basin, in the Romanian and Hungarian cross border area. Floods are river basin wide phenomena which do not take into account administrative borders and often create problems between regions and countries. It is widely recognized that an effective flood management requires cross-border cooperation between water management authorities within the river basin. In response to the risk of floods, the present project "Flood risk management improvement on the Mures River in the cross border area" represents an engaged way to address the specific risks and to ensure disaster resilience in order to develop a disaster management system. The common challenge of the Romanian and Hungarian water management authorities within the present project represents the management of floods and natural disasters at their national borders, situated in the lower district of the Mures River. An integrated approach of the flood risk management will reduce the possible future damages. The main overall objective of the project is to improve cross border disaster and flood risk management in Mures River basin. In order to achieve this goal, the project aims to improve cross-border cooperation in the field of flood management by implementation of the following activities: Promoting intensive cooperation between Romanian and Hungarian water management authorities across national and administrative borders; Elaborating joint hazard (flood) maps that will make flood protection more effective; Developing Makó pumping station which is located in the Hungarian-Romanian joint interest section; Reconstructing the flood protection wall (Rehabilitation of the Arad's defence wall on a length of 2345 m and shore defence works on a length of 225 ml) located on the left bank of the Mures River’s Romanian section; Integrating other EU directives and national policies, taking into account the hydrological, ecological and socio-economic functions of the Mures river. The main outputs of the project are: an improved infrastructure on the left bank of the Mures River`s Romanian section - a rehabilitated flood protection wall, on the right bank of the Mures River`s Hungarian section a reconstructed pumping station and joint hazard (flood) maps. Achievement of these 3 main outputs leads to a better and developed coordination for emergency response services from both romanian and hungarian countries. The number of population protected by improved emergency response services is aproximatively 136.339 habitants for Hungary and 187.194 habitants for Romania, totally: 323.533 habitants. The project impact is related to: - a relevant contribution to flood protection safety for the people within Mures river basin from both countries; - additional support for the responsible authorities to develop harmonized and coordinated flood strategy and policy measures across the Romanian and Hungarian borders within the frameworks of EU and national policies and regulation; - a strengthened transfer of good practices between Romanian and Hungarian regions. The beneficiaries of the project are: especially the population from Romania and Hungary borders, and also the Romanian and Hungarian water management authorities. 4 out of 5 Europeans that live in the urban areas are exposed to floods as consequences of the climate changes that are quite unpredictable according to the “Climate change consequences” article published on the European Commission’s website. Due to the deterioration of the works/structures of the flood protection system, the defence capabilities in the Romanian-Hungarian cross-border area are under the risk of becoming inefficient. In this regard, at the Hungarian-Romanian cross-border area the joint flood control systems must be strengthened to be more effective on both sides. The approach that the project is taking into consideration concerns joint working of the Romanian and Hungarian water management authorities, using each other’s’ data, methods, standards, adapting old ways of approaching a problem to newly found insights, common goal forces, open up to new ways, better methods, smarter solutions. The present project is original because of its comprehensiveness, both in terms of the spatial coverage (transboundary Mures river basin) and in terms of the scope of the measures (all key measures covering preparedness, prevention and response). Some rivers cross borders, whether national, international or only administrative. The present project contributes to the harmonisation of the cross border flood strategies and policy measures, within the frameworks of EU and national policies and regulation. The innovative character of the projects is given by the following aspects: 1. The technical solution developed for the reconstruction of the flood protection wall located on the left bank of the Mures River’s Romanian section, which combines the classic technical solutions with the innovative ones: a glass flood wall. 2. Joint hazard (flood) maps, which do not exist in the present and will represent an important tool in the flood risk management system.

The project ROHU-11 aimed to promote intensive cooperation in the field of flood management between Romanian and Hungarian water management authorities across national and administrative borders The main activities implemented within the project: Reconstructing the flood protection wall (rehabilitation of the Arad's defence wall on a length of 2345 m and shore defence works on a length of 225 m) -LB. Purchasing the necessary equipment for floods prevention and/or floods interventions (tracked excavator, a tractor equipped with the mower, wood chopper and forestry winch, an 8x8 Offroad vehicle for emergency interventions, equipment for topographic measurements GPS-GNNS, equipment for resistivity measurement of dykes, a mobile water pump, a trailer)-LB. Purchasing equipment for the expert's team (1 camera, 1 laptop, 1 projector, 1 GIS software, 6 hard disks, 2 monitors, 1 graphic card, 1 server, 2 VMware software licenses, Corel Draw, Surfer and Adobe Acrobat licenses). Reconstruction of the pressure pipe and waterside sluice of the Makó pumping station –PP2. Elaborating the joint hazard (flood) maps that will make flood protection more effective and 2 joint reports (Bathymetry topographic and GPS measurements report, LIDAR or UAV measurements, Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and orthophotography report and 2D hydrological modelling and flo od maps). On May 31, 2022, the project was successfully finalized. All activities provided in the project were completed (100%). The Programme Output Indicator is 5/b-1 “Population safeguarded by improved emergency response services”. Through the project ROHU-11, 360,259 people are better-protected by improved emergency response services. The main results of the project are: 360,259 people are better-protected by improved emergency response services. the modernised protection wall from Arad with an improved infrastructure. the modernized pump station from Makó, the new equipment for flood prevention and/or interventions. joint hazard maps to ensure increased management of flood risk and a better emergency response capacity.

The aim of the project and the related activities will ensure the fulfillment of the programme’s specific objective related to the “Improved cross-border disasters and risk management”. As a result there will be a better joint cross-border cooperation in the flood management between the two partners, that will lead to increase of efficiency, distribution of tasks between cooperating countries; elaboration of flood maps as the result of the joint cross-border cooperation, and an increased understanding and attention to the cross-border effects of implemented measures on either side of the border, that will reduce the potential damage in the designated area; last but not least a reconstructed lock gate in the Makó pumping station located on the right bank of the Mures River’s Hungarian section and a reconstructed flood protection wall located on the left bank of the Mures River’s Romanian section, will reduce flood levels and the duration of floods to a sustainable level. Consequently the number of people benefiting from present joint emergency response project will increase and the emergency situations in the border area will be addressed more effectively.