"Transboundary coordination according to the FD

Directive in the shared river basins of Greece”

Katerina Triantafyllou, ECOS Consulting S.A.

Technical Consultant, Special Secretariat for Water

Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Energy and

Climate Change

Workshop on Transboundary Issues

Budapest

March 31st April 1st

Greek territory is divided into 14

RBDs, 5 of these are identified

as International

International RBDs are with

Albania, Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia, Turkey

(non-EU countries) and

Bulgaria a MS of EU

International River Basin Districts and

Transboundary River Basins in Greece (1/3)

International River Basin Districts and

Transboundary River Basins in Greece (2/3)

Greek international RBDs are:

GR05 “EPIRUS ” : RB of Aoos/Vjosa river, shared with Albania

GR09 “WESTERN MACEDONIA”: sub-basin of lakes Prespa

(shared with FYROM and with Albania) and part of the upstream

catchment of Axios/Vardar river, shared with FYROM

GR10 “CENTRAL MACEDONIA”: downstream part of the RB of

Axios/Vardar river, shared with FYROM

GR11 “EASTERN MACEDONIA” : downstream part of the RB

Strymon/Struma, shared with Bulgaria (RBD BG 4000)

GR12 “THRACE” : RB of Nestos/Mesta, shared with Boulgaria,

and RB of Evros/Maritza/Meric, shared with Boulgaria (RBD BG

3000) and Turkey

International River Basin Districts and

Transboundary River Basins in Greece (3/3)

Aoos river basin: no

APSFR, catchment on

the Greek side located

upstream

APSFR in transboundary River Basins in

Greece (1/6)

Prespa lakes sub basin a

riparian area on the East of

the lakes

Axios river basin :

upstream (GR09) the

lowlands of the basin

downstream (GR10) almost

the entire Axios catchment on

the Greek side

APSFR in transboundary River Basins in

Greece (2/6)

Strymon river basin

all the lowlands of the

catchment on the Greek

side from the border up to

the mouth of the river

Nestos river basin the

lower parts of the

catchment

APSFR in transboundary River Basins in

Greece (3/6)

Evros river basin all the

lowlands along the river from

the border with Bulgaria to the

mouth of the river

APSFR in transboundary River Basins in

Greece (4/6)

We note that:

In all the cases of APSFR shared catchments with other

countries are located upstream and only in Evros river

basin shared catchments (with Turkey ) are also side by

side

Greek transboundary river basins shared with Member

States of the EU are those of Strymon, Nestos and Evros,

shared with Bulgaria which cover the upstream part of the

river basins

In the case of Axios, Strymon and Evros identified APSFR

are extended up to the border line. In the case of Nestos

APSFR are far away from the border. According to FD

(Article 8.1) Member States shall ensure coordination

for Flood Risk Management Plans at International

River

APSFR in transboundary River Basins in

Greece (5/6)

APSFR in transboundary River Basins in

Greece (6/6)

Coordination for FD with Bulgaria 2010 Joint

Declaration Joint Expert Working Group for the

cooperation on water and environment in

transboundary basins Joint Sub Working Group for the

exchange of technical data and experience on the

implementation of the requirements of Directives

2000/60/EC and 2007/60/EC

Cooperation also with Turkey in the management of the

transboundary river of Evros 2010 Joint Declaration

Joint Committee for the cooperation for the Evros river

Joint Working Group for exchange of information and

data on the river Evros

Coordination according to the Floods

Directive 2007/60/EC

Exchange of views on data, applied methodologies, criteria

for risk evaluation and identified APSFR

Exchange of data. Greece submitted to Bulgaria texts

uploaded to CIRCA in English and shape-files with historical

flood events and APSFR

Very limited available time for coordination. Analysis to

finish by the end of 2011 and data to CIRCA by March 2012

Preliminary Floods Risk Assessment (1/4)

Different criteria for risk classification non corresponding

APSFR at the border

Greece conservative approach all urban settlements and

almost all cultivated land of high risk in case of flooding;

Bulgaria risk classification for each flood location after

public consultation

Greek side identified 4 APSFR at the border with Bulgaria in

the river basins of Evros and its tributaries Ardas and

Erythropotamos and in the river basin of Strymonas.

Bulgaria side identified only one APSFR close to the border

in the main branch of Evros river.

. FRMP shall be coordinated also in the case of non

corresponding APSFR at the border ?

Preliminary Floods Risk Assessment (2/4)

to :

Different methods for delineation of APSFR

Greece delineates ASFRP as polygons (broader areas

riparian to the river) ; Bulgaria as river stretches of water

bodies

Differences in the width of the identified area on both sides

of the river technical and not critical problem as flooded

areas are identified with accuracy at the stage of flood

hazard maps

Important to agree on the classification criteria for risk

evaluation and this is not easy as there are differences in

priorities between the two countries

Preliminary Floods Risk Assessment (3/4)

to :

Differences in public information and consultation

Both sides made PFRA data available to the public

Greece consultation of AFRP with authorities

Bulgaria open presentations of ARFRP to the public

Preliminary Floods Risk Assessment (4/4)

Exchange of views and information on flood scenario,

terrain data, hydrological data and analysis, flood routing

models, flood risk evaluation

Very limited available time for coordination. Analysis to

finish by the end of 2013 and data to CIRCA by March 2014

Elaboration of FHRM is a complicated new process no

previous experience difficulties to apply coordinated

approaches at least at the 1st cycle of FD implementation

Floods hazards and risk maps (1/6)

:

Differences in Hydrological Analysis

Return period of flood scenarios : high probability 50 years

in Greece, 20 years in Bulgaria; both return periods on the

border segment of Evros to be considered

Hydrological data and methods of analysis.

Greece synthetic flood hydrographs (rainfall data up 2011)

and runoff computation (models supported by GIS).

Discharge and river water level data model calibration (except in the case of Evros river where hydrometric measurements are used)

Bulgaria processing of hydrometric measurements (period

1961-1990)

Floods hazards and risk maps (2/6)

:

Differences in Hydrological Analysis

Different measurement stations, Different measurement

periods, Different methodologies Different flood events

on the border.

Need for future coordination on flood measurements (maybe

shared stations)

+

Maximum discharge spatial distribution and hydrographs

composition assumptions ?

+

Influence of upstream existing retention works on flood

hydrographs and peak discharge ? important in Ardas

tributary of Evros where three upstream dams exist on

Bulgarian territory

Floods hazards and risk maps (3/6)

:

Differences in Terrain Data

Greece existing DTM + bathymetrical measurements for river cross sections (except Evros river where DTM supplemented by satellites images) ;

Bulgaria DTM models based on LiDAR and geodetic surveys

Used cross-sections at the segment of the Evros river forming the borderline with Bulgaria will be exchanged between the two parties

Each country works according to relevant past investments and financial possibilities. It’s very difficult in the first cycle of FD implementation to adopt a common approach

Floods hazards and risk maps (4/6)

:

Differences in flood routing modeling

Greece quasi-2D hydraulic simulation models equivalent to LisFlood + scenarios with potential levees failure. Evros river

MIKE-FLOOD model of DHI

Bulgaria 1D and 2D models according to terrain slope

Establishment of Flood Risk Maps

Methodology for Flood Risk Maps under development very difficult to establish coordination before developing sufficient experience on the subject

Floods hazards and risk maps (5/6)

:

Case of Evros river basin

cooperation with Bulgaria (upstream) in line with the requirements and milestones of the Floods Directive

cooperation with Turkey (sharing river segment) with exchange of hydrometric measurements (both countries give much emphasis on jointly addressing the problem of floods)

Floods hazards and risk maps (6/6)

:

Floods Directive opportunity for common approaches in FRM on the level of international RBDs (concrete context and implementation schedule) risk reduction by coordinated measures

Greece 4 neighboring countries (1 Member State of EU) + coordination issues many and complex

1st cycle of FD implementation FRMPs for the parts of the International RBDs within its territory

+

coordination as far as possible at the level of the international RBDs

1st cycle of FD implementation in the shared

RBs basins (1/2)

:

Coordination crucial for flood risk reduction. Case of RB Evros activities in each part influence flood events and risk. Open issues:

upstream reservoirs operation

design standards of flood protection works

riparian lands and activities on flood plains

risk reduction priorities

1st cycle of FD implementation in the shared

RBs basins (2/2)

Thank you for your attention