Integrated management of flood risk in Burgas municipality - IMFR

Description

The threat of flooding is a serious concern to local authorities that are responsible for flood warning and flood damage reduction. During 2014 summer flooding events in Burgas municipality, it was critical to get accurate estimate of where and how much the impacts are and ultimately how quick and effective the emergency response can be. The project's objective is to contribute towards reducing the vulnerability of the region and specifically to flash floods by developing and establishing a flood early warning information system with possibility of forecasting models for strengthening the local capacity with a particular focus on the implementation of Directive 2007/60/EC. The project will achieve a more integrated management of the marine and inland waters through monitoring of flood-prone areas and processes and early warning system for high waters and floods in line with the identified areas for potential significant flood risk ( by BDWM Black Sea Region).

Summary of project results

City of Burgas is situated on the Black Sea coast and is surrounded by three lakes (Vaya, Mandra and Atanasovsko) to the north and south. The territory of Burgas Municipality is particularly vulnerable to floods caused by heavy rainfalls and increase of water levels of water bodies. The main objective of project is to improve the effective flood risk management on the territory of Burgas Municipality and to support the efforts of the local authority in the process of adaptation to climate change. Within the project 22 monitoring stations are installed. They are equipped with radar sensors measuring the water levels of dams, lakes, rivers and the Black Sea. The stations measure the amount of rainfall, air temperature and humidity, wind direction and speed, atmospheric pressure and solar radiation. The stations are equipped with cameras, which provide permanent visual control of the water basins. Solar panels guaranteeing autonomous work. All data provided by the monitoring stations and sensors come in to an information system where it is processed and visualized. The information system for management of flood risk, available at www.wms.burgas.bg, is a major tool for the employees of the Center for Video Surveillance of Burgas Municipality to perform constant monitoring of water basins. The system has SMS early warning functions in case of dangerous water levels. The administrators can to send immediately warning to a large number of people. 15 flood simulation models were developed for 5 settlements in Burgas Municipality with action scenarios. The GIS map displays all information about infrastructure objects, road network, cadastre, flood-threatened areas, flood forecasts, and more. This significantly supports the decision-making process as it provides a complete operational picture. The information system operational center is part of the Center for CCTV of of Burgas Municipality. A Mobile Application for iPhone and Android has been developed, which enables: Automatic notifications of increased water levels and rainfall; Citizens and individuals with alerts and messages; Alerts for entry in a flood threatened area; Collecting and sending information about flood parameters or other irregularities related to floods; Displays flood information collected in the information system; Information about events (polluted rivers, demolished dikes, people in danger, etc.) With the implementation of the project Burgas Municipality is the first municipality in Bulgaria with a fully integrated water monitoring network, covering its entire territory.

Summary of bilateral results