Technical Assistance for Preparation of Flood Risk Management Plans for Bosnia and Herzegovina (EC/BIH/TEN/19/012)

The ‘Technical assistance for preparation of the Flood Risk Management Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina’ financed by the European Union includes supporting the implementation of the Flood Protection and Water Management Action Plan and thereby increasing the capacity of Bosnia and Herzegovina's key stakeholders to manage flood risk in terms of flood prevention, flood protection and readiness to respond to potential dangers. This project, which will last for 30 months, constitutes an important step in the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union.

Bosnia and Herzegovina includes two basins, Sava River Basin and Adriatic Sea Basin, within its borders. These basins cover more than one country and some parts of them are within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For this reason, harmony with the studies done on the basis of these basins will be taken into consideration in this project. In addition, since Bosnia and Herzegovina has adopted a management style divided into 3 entities, flood risk management plans will be written according to the needs and capacities of each administration and will also be divided on a basin basis. As a result of these conditions, a roof report will be prepared for Bosnia-Herzegovina that summarizes the main problems and basic measures derived from 5 Flood Risk Management Plans. In addition to these, Bosnia and Herzegovina Water Management Information System will also be updated.

As a result of the project, 4 outputs will be produced and these results will be an important guide in the implementation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's flood risk management action plan. In addition, within the scope of the project, information will be transferred to the relevant institutions through knowledge transfer phase.

1) Assessment of the legal, institutional, financial arrangements of the water sector, particularly related to flood protection and status of the previously finalised activities.

2) Background documents and Flood Risk Management Plans are well elaborated, developed and adjusted to the public participation results.

3) Water information system in BiH updated to support implementation and reporting of the Flood Risk Management Plans.

4) Capacities of the relevant institutions at the state, entity and BD level strengthened and exit strategy developed.

The flood in the Sava River Basin in 2014 caused 47.86 million Euros of damage across the country. After this date, efforts to take flood measures have accelerated and local measures are currently being taken. However, the need for a general planning throughout the country maintains its importance and the Technical assistance for preparation of the Flood Risk Management Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina is a very important step taken to fulfill this purpose.

Flood Risk Management Plans are;

1. Flood risk management plan for Sava River Watershed in the FBiH

2. Flood risk management plan for Watershed of Adriatic Sea in the FBiH

3. Flood risk management plan for district Sava River Watershed in the RS

4. Flood risk management plan for district Trebišnjica River Watershed in the RS

5. Flood risk management plan for the Brčko District of BiH

6. Roof Report for BiH, summarizing key issues and key measures extracted from the five flood risk management plans.

Services provided by ALTER;

• TASK 1: Assessment of legal, institutional, financial arrangements of the water sector, particularly related to flood protection
• TASK 2: Assessment of the results of the previously implemented projects and activities of the beneficiary institutions
• TASK 3: Determination of flood risk management objectives in BiH
• TASK 4: Definition of framework and options for flood risk management (Catalogue of Measures)
• TASK 5: Assessment and prioritization of measures
• TASK 6: Draft Flood Risk Management Plans
• TASK 7: Strategic Environmental Assessment
• TASK 8: Public consultation process
• Task 9: Formulation of the Action Plan
• TASK 10: Formulation of the Flood Risk Management Plans
• TASK 11: Upgrade of the Water Information System
• TASK 12: Knowledge transfer
• TASK 13: Follow up Strategy Integrated Urban Water Management Plan for the Selected Area(s)