Greece

1st REVISION OF FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN MACEDONIA RIVER BASINS – IMPLEMENTATION OF E.U. DIRECTIVE 2007/60/EC

TThe project concerns the implementation of the Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Community on the assessment and manage-ment of flood risk at the Greek part of the Central and Western Macedonia River Basin Districts (RBDs).
Western Macedonia RBD (EL09) includes the River Basins of Prespes catchment and Aliakmonas, covering a total area of 13.620 km2. The most important catchments are Aliakmonas river (8.813 km2), enclosed catchment of Ptolemaida (2.133 km2), the transboundary Axios river (863 km2) and Esonas river (815 km2). The most important river water body is Aliakmonas while its flow is regulated by 5 reservoirs. The RBD’s main land cover is forestry (56%) followed by agriculture (39%). Western Macedonia is the most significant Prefecture of Greece regarding its electricity production with a total of 13.078 MW installed thermal and hydro power. Central Macedonia RBD (EL10) includes the River Basins of Axios, Gallikos, Chalkidikis and Athos covering a total area of 10.165 km2. The most important catchments are Thessaloniki Lakes (2.161 km2), the transboundary Axios river (1.636 km2), Loudias river (1.251 km2) and Gallikos river (1.055 km2). The most important river water body is Axios, flowing into Greece from Northern Macedonia. The prefecture of Central Macedonia comprises the main road and rail portal of Greece to the Balkans. Central Mace-donia hosts important infrastructure, including ports, airports, motorways and railroads. Moreover, the southern and eastern part of EL10 is characterised by important urban, industrial and tourism development.
The study aims at assessing future flood risks, based on historic information and detailed hydrologic analyses and hydraulic modelling, in order to propose administrative measures and civil protection actions that will allow for reducing the impact of flooding events in the future.

The services cover the implementation of all provisions of the 2007/60/EC Directive in the Greek part of the Western Macedonia RBDs. In more detail, the assignment concerns the articles 6, 7, 9 and 10 of the Directive and has the following stages:
– Part I: Flood Hazard Maps and Flood Risk Maps (Art. 6 of 2007/60/EC). The Consultant performs a thorough analysis of hydro-logical data and identifies simulation scenarios and flooding discharges for low, medium and high probality events, in order to create 20 two-dimensional hydraulic models of the flood prone areas and produce maps demonstrating: (a) flood hazard, showing the flood extent and water depths; and (b) flood risk, showing the potential adverse effects of the different flooding scenarios on economic, cultural and environmental assets of the flooded area. The analysis is planned to finish by December 2023 and the relevant maps will be accessible to the public and reported to the European Union through the WISE (Water In-formation System for Europe) (Art. 9 of 2007/60/EC). Thw hydrological models are developed using HEC-HMS and the hydrau-lic simulations are run using 2D HEC-RAS analysis, for about 1,800km of river lengths.
– Part II: (1) Flood Risk Management Plans (Art. 7 of 2007/60/EC). The Consultant based on the results of the Flood Hazard and Risk Maps identifies reasonable objectives towards the management of flooding risk and proposes measures for achieving these objectives, in close collaboration with the Client. (2) Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment and Public Consultation (Art. 7,10 of 2007/60/EC and 2001/42/EC). The plans focus on all components of risk management, namely prevention, protec-tion and preparedness, as described above, and are accompanied by a strategic environmental impact assessment, which identifies and evaluates any likely impacts of the management plan to the environment. The Consultant is the coordinator of the Public Consultation aiming at the active participation of all the engaged stakeholders.
– For the completion of the study the Consultant needs to: update all existing geodatabases (GIS software) of hydrological and hydraulic information; develop a website for the public dissemination of the study findings and the provision of a dedi-cated discussion forum; prepare documents and databases for reporting in the EU WISE tool.
Among the preparatory activities for the elaboration of the assignment are the update of the intensity-duration-frequency rainfall curves, including recent records, as well as the preparation of a digital terrain model of high accuracy, based on already available datasets, to be used for the two-dimensional hydraulic models.