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Technical University of Munich

DANUBE FLOODPLAIN

Reducing the flood risk through floodplain restoration along the Danube River and tributaries

During the last decades, Europe suffered major catastrophic floods along the Danube. Therefore, the Flood Directive asks for adequate and coordinated measures to reduce flood risk without conflicting WFD objectives.

The main objective of the project Danbue Floodplain (in Danube Transnational Programme - DTP) is improving transnational water management and flood risk prevention while maximizing benefits for biodiversity conservation. The expected change is improved knowledge, among the countries located within Danube River Basin, related to integrative water management through restoration of floodplains, combination of classical and green infrastructure, natural retention measures, involving all related stakeholders.

The main activities of the project are:

  • updating the floodplain areas inventory and their ranking using the Floodplain Evaluation Matrix-FEM;
  • assessing, by using the pre-selected pilot areas, of the efficiency of floodplain projects in the Danube District; and, 
  • developing tools for increasing the knowledge and cooperation of experts, practitioners, decision makers and stakeholders on floodplain restoration. 

Leading the work package “flood prevention pilots” in the Danube Floodplain project, the Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is significantly contributing in achieving these goals. In cooperation with international project partners, 1D and 2D hydraulic models from the project partners are operated to evaluate restoration scenarios. Ecosystem services assessment and cost benefit analyses are applied in five pilot areas in order to analyze the overall effect on flood protection and on other ecosystem services like e.g. biodiversity.

The Project will develop tools contributing to DTP SO2.1:

  1. The Danube basin wide floodplain restoration and preservation manual addressed mainly to practitioners;
  2. A DRB Sustainable Floodplain management Strategic Guidance summarizing the key findings of the manual targeting a wider audience;
  3. A DRB Roadmap comprising agreed next steps towards realizing floodplain projects.

The ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River) which is the major platform for cooperation in flood risk management and river basin management in the DRB, through its experts will be supportive to this project in helping to achieve its goals and also in transferring the outputs. The main project target groups are ministries, river basin authorities, practitioners and stakeholders. The innovative character is given by the application of FEM by all Partner Countries and by developing a general evaluation tool for possible later assessment of floodplain restoration projects.

Funding Programme: Danube Transnational Programme (INTERREG) 
Project start: 01.06.2018
Project end: 30.11.2020
Project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Disse 
Project assistance: M.Sc. Johanna Springer, M.Sc.Francesca Perosa, M.Sc. Johannes Mitterer, Dr.-Ing. Ye Tuo, M.Sc. Leonardo Francisco Arias Rodriguez
Homepage: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/danube-floodplain

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