On February 18 in Zone 1 (Alfaro, La Rioja-Castejón, Navarra) and on February 19 in Zone 2 (Osera de Ebro-Fuentes de Ebro, Zaragoza), the second sessions of the Local Entity Forums of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project were held, spaces designed to strengthen the capacities of the municipalities in the management of the public water domain and flood risk.
These forums open the exchange of knowledge and learning and are proposed as a set of actions to strengthen the capacities of local authorities in legal, technical and competence matters related to the management of Ebro watercourses and floods.
After a first presentation and coordination meeting, these sessions were dedicated to a crucial topic in flood risk management:
- What actions can be carried out within the watercourse and its surrounding areas.
- Which administrations are competent for each type of intervention.
- What procedures are required for authorization.
- What funding mechanisms are in place to support flood risk adaptation.
Technicians from the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE), the Autonomous Communities of La Rioja, Navarra and Aragón, as well as TRAGSA and Tragsatec personnel, participated actively answering questions and offering practical guidance to the attendees.
This technical support contributes to smoother municipal management, facilitates the processing of actions and improves coordination between administrations.
Municipal participation and practical approach
In Zone 1, the meeting was held on Wednesday 18 in the Ciberteca of the Alfaro Town Hall with representatives of the municipalities of Calahorra and Alfaro (La Rioja) and Azagra and San Adrián (Navarra) and with the assistance of technicians from the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 team of the CHE, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural World and Environment of the Government of La Rioja, the Government of Navarra and Orekan-Gestión Ambiental de Navarra.
Zone 2, on the other hand, was held in the Casa de Cultura of Quinto (Zaragoza) on Thursday, February 19, with the participation of the town councils of Pradilla, Boquiñeni, Remolinos, Alagón, Zaragoza, El Burgo de Ebro, Fuentes de Ebro and Quinto, as well as representatives of the Aragonese Water Institute (IAA) and the Government of Aragon (INAGA and Civil Protection), together with the technical team of the project represented by CHE and IAA.
The forums combine technical explanations with the exchange of experiences and the resolution of real cases, reinforcing the role of municipalities as key players in flood risk management.
The next meeting of the Local Entity Forums will be dedicated to communication systems, administrative coordination and information management during flood episodes, another of the fundamental axes of the project to improve flood response.
Resources
In addition to the direct resolution of doubts, various resources of interest have been defined on the topics discussed, especially those related to riverbed interventions.
- Audiovisual resources:
- Treatment of riparian vegetation (management) in the face of flood risk. COMPETENCES AND PROCEDURES https://youtu.be/3deFrK9hSsU
- Riverbed conservation actions COMPETENCIES / INTERVENTIONS / OBJECTIVES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miyujge8lfw
- Municipal flood plans
- Municipal plans for flood risk in the middle stretch of the Ebro in Aragón https://www.ebroresilience.com/planes-municipales-proteccion-civil-inundaciones/
- Municipal plans in Navarra https://www.ebroresilience.com/los-planes-municipales-ante-el-riesgo-de-inundacion-el-ejemplo-de-navarra/
- Progress on Ebro Resilience Strategy and LIFE Ebro Resilience P1
- Progress of the Ebro Resilience Strategy. https://www.ebroresilience.com/avance-de-la-estrategia/estudios-de-detalle/
- Status of LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 interventions https://www.ebroresilience.com/avances-life-ebro-resilience-p1/ https://www.ebroresilience.com/avances-life-ebro-resilience-p1/
- Other resources
- Adaptation guidelines of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge
- Guidelines for the reduction of the vulnerability of buildings to flooding
- Assessment of the resilience of urban settlements to flood risk
- Flood risk adaptation guidelines for agriculture and livestock farms
- Recommendations for the construction and rehabilitation of buildings in flood-prone areas
- Flood risk adaptation guidelines: sustainable urban drainage systems
LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project
The LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project (LIFE20 ENV/ES/00327), approved by the European Commission in the LIFE 2020 call, covers La Rioja, Navarra and Aragón, has a duration of six years and a total budget of 13.3 million euros, 55% co-financed by the European Union.