Good practice:

Prevention of Flood and Drought Risks in the Minho-Lima International River Basin

RISC_ML project genesis is made from 3 specific objectives:
▪obtain greater knowledge and behaviour at the hydrographic and even cartographic level of the Minho-Lima international river basin district;
▪improve the existing management mechanisms of this watershed, namely with regard to the identification of drought situations and the management of the basin under these specific conditions;
▪establish an early warning system that allows a reliable assessment of the real flood risk depending on the specific area of the basin.
RISC_ML establishes joint measures aimed at preventing, preparing, predicting, and improving management in the face of extreme phenomena, such as floods and droughts, in the international river basin, to mitigate their effects. A better knowledge of the international river basin district, the establishment of joint mechanisms for the management of droughts and early warning of floods will allow for greater preparedness and response capacity in the territory against such phenomena and risks.
This purpose will be achieved through 4 main mechanisms:
-Analysis of the Minho and Lima river basins at the geographic and hydrological level;
-Joint Drought Plan;
-New International Watershed Flood Alert System;
-Watershed control systems and natural flood retention measures.
The main beneficiaries of this project are the managing authorities of the Minho and Lima River basins (from Portugal and Spain), the Civil Protection Agents and the population

Human resources of the partners involved in the project.
Related to the total budget spent and proposed, €2,335,283.41 and €1,372,970.79 refer respectively. As for the total European funding (ERDF) obtained and considered, €1,751,462.56 and €1,029,728.09 are referred to, respectively.

▪19 541 km2 of International Hydrographic Demarcation mapped (cartography and water resource inventory for 3 future climate scenarios);
▪235 Authorities aware of the potential effects of climate change, involved in the joint technical drought plan and communication protocols;
▪963803 people benefited from the implementation of the flood early warning system;
▪1 joint technical drought plan (with 15 new hydrological/meteorological indicators and 10 new measures);
▪7 Rivers monitored

Main lessons: data collection and mining data tools are crucial steps for the continuous reinforcement of knowledge; common problems can have identical solutions through joint and integrated management; cooperation to address climate change challenges is essential and guarantees a greater awareness

Although the results are specific to the Minho and Lima international watersheds, the methodology can be reproduced and replicated in other international watersheds in Europe.
As an example, the new flood early warning system, based on rainfall forecast data provided by various organizations, allows authorities to deal with this phenomenon as early as possible, a tool that is transferable. Other results are also subject to adaptation and implementation in other European territorial realities, such as the design of natural containment measures against floods in areas of special sensitivity in the basin or the selection of meteorological drought indicators.