On March 15, the Colegio de Ingeniero Técnicos de Obras Públicas and the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project joined forces to carry out an informative and training session that is part of the social capacity building campaigns for the technical sector.
The activity made it possible to explain the proposals of the Ebro Resilience Strategy and the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project for flood risk reduction in the middle reaches of the Ebro, and also to exchange views on the change in flood risk management.
Visit
The day began at the CITOP headquarters in Zaragoza with an informative talk by the technical coordinator of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project and ITOP at the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, David Gargantilla, on concepts such as flood risk and exposure to floods, areas, types of intervention and the general objectives of the project.
Afterwards, the attendees went to Zone 2 of the intervention, the Osera de Ebro – Fuentes de Ebro section, to see the different works in situ:
- In the mejana del Conde, the intervention for the recovery of river space was visited through the recessing and separation from the riverbed of part of the existing defense, in order to solve the narrowing of the river. This action is part of the phase of the “Improvement of resilience to floods in the Ebro river, as it passes through Osera de Ebro and Fuentes de Ebro, in Zaragoza”, with a budget of 3 million euros, which includes a similar action in another section of the defense, located in the meander of Aguilar.
- The visit also included an explanation of the preliminary work for the creation of lateral flow buffer zones, a series of temporary flooding areas that will compartmentalize the cultivable area into cells that will be pre-flooded in a controlled manner. This will generate water cushions that will minimize damage to farms and infrastructure, mainly irrigation.
- Finally, the following were explained adaptation works to the flooding of the irrigation system of the Irrigation Community of the Huerta del Ebro. These works consist of separating the irrigation infrastructures from the defense dike, preventing a breach of the dike from affecting the infrastructures; burying the main irrigation ditches that could hinder the passage of water (intervention of the Government of Aragon); and adapting the secondary irrigation branches in the farms that will become floodable areas to flooding (intervention of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation).
Social capacity building
The LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project has developed a Social Capacity Building Plan. Social capacity building is a central element to improve social resilience to floods and self-protection of the riparian population. Vulnerability is part of risk, and capabilities are part of vulnerability. If we strengthen capabilities, we reduce risk.
Capacities are personal and collective competencies that enable greater self-management in the face of floods. They have to do with knowledge about risk and adaptation, self-protection, organization, involvement, etc.
As part of the social capacity building plan, 16 campaigns are planned to improve social awareness on different aspects related to flood risk management, with different target audiences, grouped into 7 sectors: technicians and managers; educational sector; communication sector; primary sector; environmental sector; intersectoral and general public.
