1.1. Preventing and mitigating the consequences of natural and man-made disasters in the cross-border area

The project is focused on tackling the basic and global problems which are closely linked with  forest fires, floods, atmosphere pollution, biotic agents and climate changes’ influence.

Creation of a formal cooperation network working on prevention and mitigation of the consequences from natural and man-made disasters between Dimitrovgrad and Uzunkopru municipalities is envisaged. Within the project there will be constructed a tower and  automatic technical equipment for observation and prevention of forest fires on the territory of Dimitrovgrad municipality that will cover a perimeter of about 26 km. The automatic observatory is designed for monitoring, safeguarding, analyses, communication and early prevention in cases of fire and other unfavourable events in the covered perimeter. a Flood Prevention Information System will be installed in Uzunköprü municipality that will work with a specialized software and will deliver data in real time. A Common Strategy for Prevention from Natural and Man-made Disasters and mitigating the consequences from them across the Cross border region will be elaborated for ensuring sustainability of the project.

Project implementation will contribute to better protection of the population and conservation of biological and landscape diversity in the border region. The installation of a system for early warning of natural disasters in Uzunkupru and construction of a watchtower in the municipality of Dimitrovgrad will reduce the negative impacts of forest fires, floods, natural and other man-made disasters.

Project status: Finished

The idea of project “Prevention and minimization of the Risks for the Environment and Vision for Innovative Tools /PREVENT/” started lots of years ago. Fighting against natural and man-made disasters in the cross-border area can be a challenge for both of the project partners – Dimitrovgrad Municipality and Uzunkopru Municipality. That is how they come with the idea of realizing a project which aims at preventing disasters and mitigating the consequences from them. One of the main activities for Dimitrovgrad Municipality is the construction of an Automatic Observatory Tower, which monitors and prevents forest fires. There is an equipped Control Centre in the building of the municipality, where the alarm for potential fire is going after its been detected from the Observatory Tower on site. After receiving that signal, the Control Centre is sending it to the relevant institutions and entities responsible for disaster management. In Uzunkopru Municipality is installed an early detection system for preventing floods on the rivers Ergene and Kirkavak. A special operational flood forecasting system software system has been developed that collects data and transmits in real time the accumulated information from the installed systems. Both partners put a lot of effort and worked hard for the smooth and successful implementation of the project. They have had difficulties through the stages of implementation but combining their knowledge, experience and common goals, managed to get through every situation.

The construction, installation and operation of the prevention systems contribute in regard of the population of the region, the ecosystems, habitats, economic entities and for all of the institutions involved in risk prevention. The established relationships between the partners and institutions that are involved in hazards management within the project are fundamental for future cooperation and join initiatives.

Project website:

http://preventdisaster.org/

Project materials:

Project materials (folder and information board) are available HERE.

Project products:

The Project logo is available HERE.

The Project brochure (in Bulgarian and English) is available HERE.

The Project brochure (in Turkish and English) is available HERE.

The Common Strategy for Prevention from Natural and Man-made Disasters and Mitigating the consequences from them (English version) is available HERE.

The Common Strategy for Prevention from Natural and Man-made Disasters and Mitigating the consequences from them (Bulgarian version) is available HERE.

The Common Strategy for Prevention from Natural and Man-made Disasters and Mitigating the consequences from them (Turkish version) is available HERE.

The Flood Early Warning System is available on the web site: www.preventdisaster.org at the following link: http://taskin.eastus.cloudapp.azure.com/web/.

The UFIS USER GUIDE is available HERE and on the web site: www.preventdisaster.org at the following link: http://preventdisaster.org/docs/UFIS_guide_in_ENG.pdf.

The presentation from the First aid and rescue training held in Uzunkopru on 13-14 March 2018 is available HERE. 

The project aims at improvement the firefighting capabilities of municipalities Uzkup (Turkey) and Sungurlare (Bulgaria) and prevention and mitigation of the consequences of fires on their territory  through supplying new equipment in both municipalities and improving the capacity of the staff from both sides, responsible for firefighting.

Within the project it will be analyzed the risk of fires in the municipalities Sungurlare and Uzkup and it will be elaborated a guide on best practices for firefighting. The project envisages supply of firefighting equipment in both municipalities including highpowered trucks with mobile fireplatforms for fighting forest fires and elaboration of works design of firetowers for the municipality of Sungurlare.

The implementation of the project will contribute to improvement the reaction of the staff from both sides of the border in cases of fires through the skilles and knowledge acquired during the trainings and exchanging best practices.

Project status: Finished

The project partners have implemented the activities according to the schedule.

The main objective of the project is to improve the firefighting capacity of the partnering municipalities and to prevent and mitigate the consequences of fires that can affect their territory through supplying new equipment for the municipal administrations and improving the training of their staff responsible for firefighting.

For both municipalities which are located predominantly in forest areas, dealing with spontaneous fires is a serious problem. It endangers he life and health of citizens, as well as the economic activities and economic life of municipalities. Over half of the territory of the Municipality of Sungurlare is forests (over 393 000 ha from a total area of 790 000 ha). The Municipality of Üsküp although with smaller territory is also situated in a forest area but it also has a large industry zone that houses most of the factories in the district that can be severely affected by forest fires and can be the starting point of a fire spreading to the forest zones of the municipality.

Implemented investment activities aimed prevention and management of risks of fires, including awareness raising, civil protection and disaster management systems and infrastructures.

Specialized vehicles and the necessary equipment for firefighting activities are supplied under the as the most effective in the efforts of the institutions for disaster resilience. Project partners developed “Risk analysis of fire hazards in the municipalities of Üsküp and Sungurlare” and “Guide on best practices for firefighting”. Works design of fire towers for the municipality of Sungurlare was elaborated. Project activities improved capacity of 26 Turkish and Bulgarian municipal officials and volunteers in the field through 2 trainings and exchange visit of the citizens and local authorities of both municipalities.

The project implementation contributes to the sustainable development, prevention and management of climate related risks and especially of the fires, including awareness rising, civil protection and disaster management systems and firefighting infrastructures in the cross-border region.

Project materials:

Project materials are available HERE.

Project products:

Brochures with project results (English, Bulgarian and Turkish versions) are available HERE.

"Risk analysis of fire hazards in the municipalities of Üsküp and Sungurlare and guide on best practices for firefighting" (Bulgarian version) is available HERE.

Summary of the "Risk analysis of fire hazards in the municipalities of Üsküp and Sungurlare and guide on best practices for firefighting" (Turkish version) is available HERE.

Handbook elaborated for the Exchange visit held in Üsküp on 18-19 December 2018 is availabale HERE.

Presentations from the Exchange visit held in Üsküp on 18-19 December 2018 (Bulgarian and Turkish versions) are available HERE.

Presentation with project results from the Closing Press-conference held in Sungurlare on 12 March 2019 (Bulgarian version) is available HERE.

The project aims at exchange of experience, know-how and good practices in the field of risk assessment and risk analysis in the cross-border region.

The project activities include the creation of a working group in Burgas consisting of experts who will investigate the disasters – manmade and natural happened during the last 5 years and will assess the current risk areas.  The collected and processed data would be served for preparation of a disaster “risk map” in the Bulgarian-Turkish cross-border region.

A "round table" event will be organized in Edirne under the motto "Management of risk prevention – a key for sustainable development of the cross-border region". Here will be announced and discussed the risk assessment results for the main risky zones incl. Environmental, Biological, Health, Technological, Natural risk and  the prevention of natural and man-made disasters.

It is envisaged “risk information tools” to be developed”, including risk maps and mobile application.

Training in Edirne will be conducted for the representatives of agriculture, business, administration and civil society on risk management and disaster protection.

On behalf of the Bulgarian partner a "Virtual Risk HUB " will be created, which will play a role of a platform functioning as common one for business, education, research, government and stakeholders to meet, collaborate, exchange information and good practices at the risk prevention management.

As a result of the implementation of the project one general guide and a book will be issued. The materials will help to improve the joint actions co-ordination in emergency situations, which ensures increased protection and security for the residents of the cross-border region.

Project status: Finished

The project partners have implemented the activities according to the schedule.

The cross-border area is a fast developing area, with specific geographical, economic and environmental features, requiring special efforts for their management. At that situation the emerging new technologies and the economic development in the region, are on focus, since they have significant impacts to the environment and cause risk situations, which need special attention and knowledge to be managed. Natural and manmade disasters are part of our everyday life, regardless of the fact that they are often classified with low probability to happen, but the risk prevention and the mitigation of disaster’s consequences is even more important in the cross-border area, not only as area of meeting people from different countries with different understanding and different life style, resources and abilities, but also as the front doors of the countries and a transition area.

The area is facing natural disasters such as: floods, landslides, fires, etc. and manmade disasters caused by different types of hazards: technological – various types of major hazards like corrosion, toxic release, radioactivity, blasts and fires, economical risk for the society and economy, environmental risk, related with the polluted big rivers Maritsa, Tundzha and the whole industrialization of the region, biological risk, safety and security risk, health risk.

The concrete needs of the target groups, which have been discussed during the project implementation, are connected with the necessity of information dissemination, training and experience exchange. As the representatives of local and regional authorities and business shared, there is a need for both theoretical and practical knowledge for risk and risk prevention management, most important for overcoming the critical situations, which region faces. Project activities aim to increase thecapacity for risk assessment and analysis, to ensure sustainable development of the environment in the cross-border coastal area with the  support by regional and local governments and good partners experienced in organization of public trainings and meetings.

The project also aims to overcome the weaknesses such as lack of knowledge among the target groups representatives about the natural and manmade disaster, natural and techno genic risk and prevention management; low interest to risk prevention as a key for sustainable development; low level of cooperation in prevention and setting up measures for risk mitigation; low capacity of the managerial boards in different sectors in the area of risk management; absence of data base and systematic analysis of manmade and natural disasters; as well as the different management models; different national legislations and rules in overcoming the disasters.

The project implementation gave the opportunity to overcome many of the weaknesses and constraints, focusing of the strengths of the region and project’s partnership.

Project website:

http://risknowcomes.net/  

Materials from the project:

Promotional materials elaborated under the project are available HERE.

Project products:

Guidelines for risk management and prevention of natural and manmade disasters are available HERE.

Final conference book “Collection of Articles Prevention of Risk for Sustainable Development of the Region” is available HERE.

Report "Analysis of past disasters in CBR from the techno genic risk", Author eng. Sabina Nedkova (Bulgarian version) is available HERE.

Report "Analysis of past disasters in CBR from Environmental risk", Author Stela Naydenova (Bulgarian version) is available HERE.

Report “Assessment and analysis of health risk for the regional population”, Author eng. Vladimir Kanev (Bulgarian version) is available HERE.

Health risk report of the Turkish part of the CBC area (Turkish version) is available HERE.

Natural risk report of the Turkish part of the CBC area (Turkish version) is available HERE.

Technology risk report of the Turkish of the CBC area (Turkish version) is available HERE.

Methodology of the Research is available HERE.

Risk info cards (English Version) are available HERE.

Risk info cards (Bulgarian Version) are available HERE.

Risk info cards (Turkish Version) are available HERE.

Presentations from Round Table "Management of risk prevention – a key for sustainable development of the CBR" held in Edirne on 16 and 17 of April 2018 (Turkish versions) are available HERE.

Three Presentations from "Training of representatives of farmers in risk management" held in Edirne, on 30 April - 01 May 2018 (Bulgarian versions) are available HERE.

Two experts presentations from the workshop "Exchange of experience” for administrative representatives (Bulgarian versions) held in Burgas on 15 and 16 of May 2018 are available HERE.

Four Presentations from the Final Conference held in Burgas (Bulgarian versions), at Flora Expocenter main hall, on 9 and 10 of November 2018, are available HERE.

The mobile application "Risk Map" can be downloaded from the following address: For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.embarcadero.riskmap_project.

The Risk Map web platform (in English and Bulgarian language) is available at the following link: http://riskmap.blacksea.bg/.

The “Poll of natural and man-made disasters in the cross-border area” is available at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfE2iSmVispWcrvUzgtRNORjodNDk_KWdaUaH_ubBXS6mz4Vw/viewform.