Assisting with flood control in Slovakia

Introducing a flood information and warning system (FLIWAS)

In recent years Slovakia has been confronted with high water and flooding on several occasions. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) has decided that the current traditional systems providing information on high water are obsolete and wants to introduce a flood information and warning system (FLIWAS). The consortium is going to assist SHMU in the project.

Location

Europe, Slovakia
N/A, N/A
48.669026, 19.699024

Focus area

Land & water
Category: Safety

Updates
Goals
Details
Impact

No updates yet

Deliverables

Beneficiaries have insight into managing complex projects
Beneficiaries have insight into the usability of FLIWAS
A workplan for implementing FLIWAS in the area concerned
Blueprints for drafting highwater and calamity plans
Training of local trainers

Goals

• To successfully bring into operation the FLIWAS high-water information system and to produce manuals for high water and other calamities.
• To achieve greater international recognition and support for the state of art FLIWAS ICT system.

Details of project plan

The project will engage in the following activities:
• Supporting SHMU with project management, so that it is able to manage complex projects after the project ends.
• Organising two study visits: to demonstrate how FLIWAS works in practice; and a large-scale exercise at a Dutch water authority.
• Arranging tests to see if SHMU is ready for the introduction of FLIWAS.
• Supporting SHMU with the introduction of FLIWAS, including training staff to implement FLIWAS independently in other organisations in the future.
• Supporting SHMU in setting up a regional management and maintenance structure.

Impact

Improved exchange of knowledge leads to better decision-making in crises, while the digital information system reduces the risk of the wrong action being taken.
The considerable reduction in damage expected annually from floods and evacuations is important in economic terms. This includes damage from lost working hours, broken transport and communication links, and production damage.
The project will also help strengthen project management skills, so that projects proceed more efficiently and smoothly. This increases the chances that the SMHU will be able to successfully apply for support from European grant schemes like Interreg IV.

Spin off and market impact

For the Netherlands it is important that the project strengthens the position of HKV and Haskoning Nederland on the Slovakian market. This will mean that the Dutch partners will become eligible for paid assignments in the follow-up.

The applicant is also preparing the way for cooperation between Dutch water authorities and Eastern European countries.

Lastly the project offers an important point of reference for the Dutch partners to implement the highwater information system at other water management organisations in Central and Eastern Europe in the future.