The Study of flood prone areas in Serbia presented

Presentation of the project "Study of flood prone areas in Serbia" providing technical support to the water management sector in order to assist Serbia in the harmonization with the European Flood Directive and the global protection against floods. The project is worth EUR 2 million.

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert said that floods cause enormous economic and social damage and even lead to human tragedies, highlighting that the "Study of flood prone areas in Serbia" does not include merely prevention, but also specific steps to be taken in case of floods.

Degert says he hopes the project will help the authorities and Serbian citizens to deal with floods more easily as well as to harmonise national legislation with the EU directives.

Degert pointed out that the EU will require from each Member State to map its flood prone areas and to introduce Flood Risk Management plans.

The main objective of the EU-funded project worth 2 million EUR is to prepare digital flood hazard and flood risk maps.

The Project covers the flood prone areas on the left and right side of the Danube between Belgrade municipality Zemun and the upstream end of the Iron Gate gorge, including the flood prone parts of the larger rivers in the Velika Morava river basin. The Minister says that there are plans to cover the whole territory of the country with these maps.