Round table on the topic of flood protection within the “Eco-friendly water management against extreme weather conditions in the cross-border area” project

As one of the planned activities, a round table on the topic of flood protection has been held within the framework of the “Eco-friendly water management against extreme weather conditions in the cross-border area (ECOWAM)” project, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation program Hungary-Serbia. The partnership in the project, which total budget amounts to EUR 1,758,447.43, of which the European Union’s co-financing (IPA) amounts to EUR 1,494,680.31, consists the Lower Tisza District Water Directorate – ATIVIZIG (Hungary), PWMC “Vode Vojvodine” Novi Sad (Serbia) and the European Affairs Fund of AP Vojvodina (Serbia). The project aims at preventing the negative effects on the quality of water bodies by establishing a joint system of improvement of water management in AP Vojvodina and Csongrád County.
The objective of the round table was to present the main project activities contributing to the improvement of the water quality of the Jegrička watercourse and the Kurca canal, their better ecological state and the prevention of floods. The relevant water management institutions from Serbia and Hungary presented examples of good practices in flood defence, the results of the analyses of water quality and sludge, and one of the topics of the round table was the use of natural resources in the protection against floods. Mina Jakovljević Zavarko, head of the Novi Sad work unit, PWMC “Vode Vojvodine”, presented the Jegrička as part of the BCN – DTD HS system and its role as a drainage and irrigation canal. The representative of the Lower Tisza District Water Directorate – ATIVIZIG spoke about the cases of extreme floods and flood prevention in the Lower Tisza region. , Tanja Bošnjak, independent expert of the Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province held a presentation on natural flood management. In the end, Tamara Jurca, Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, presented the results of chemical and hydro-biological analyses of the Jegricka watercourse. In addition to partner institutions, the round table was also attended by colleagues from the Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection, the Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province, the Faculty of Agriculture, the Faculty of Sciences and the representatives of other institutions in the field of environmental protection and water management.
The project started being implemented on 1 October 2017 and will last until 30 September 2019.