MITIGATING FLOOD RISK IN FLOODED AREAS

IN THE GAP REGION PROJECT(GAPSEL)

SPECIAL SESSION ON BETTER MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL DISASTERS CAUSED BY WATER, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT

THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE AREA COVERING TURKEY5th WORLD WATER FORUM / 21 MARCH 2009/İSTANBUL

Ms. Füsun GÜLMEZ - fgulmez@gap.gov.tr

GAP-RDA GAPSEL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TEAM

PROJECT AREA

Its basic objectives include the improvement of living standards and income levels of people so as to eliminate regional development disparities and contributing to such national goals as social stability and economic growth by enhancing productivity and employment opportunities in the rural sector.

•The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) is a multi-sector and integrated regional development effort approached in the context of sustainable development.

•The project area covers 9 administrative provinces in the basins of the Euphrates and Tigris and in Upper Mesopotamia.

•The GAP had originally been planned in the 70s consisting of projects for irrigation and hydraulic energy production on the Euphrates and Tigris, but transformed into a multi-sector social and economic development program for the region in the 80s.

•The water resources development component of the program envisages the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydraulic power plants and irrigation of 1.82 million hectares of land.

Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP)

GAPSEL PROJECT CONCEPTION PROCESS

• In the recent years, heavy rains and floods in the GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project) Region have negatively affected the region socially, environmentally and economically. 42 people lost their lives in the flood in November 2006, and hundreds of people have been affected economically and socially due to the damage given to urban infrastructure and agricultural lands.

• The first assessments have shown that insufficient infrastructure (e.g.: lack of a suitable water drainage infrastructure) and rapid growth of unplanned settlements under flood risk are factors determining the influence of flood. In addition to the loss in infrastructure, the floods have caused important social and economic problems in these provinces.

• According to the official reports prepared as a part of the disaster assessment results of the 2006 floods, the most affected areas (provinces and districts) are: Diyarbakır (Bismil and Çınar districts in particular), Batman (settlements along the Stream and the city centre), Mardin (Nusaybin district), Şanlıurfa (Harran and Ceylanpınar districts), Şırnak (Cizre, Uludere, Silopi, Beytüşşebap districts) and Siirt (Baykan, Eruh districts).

2006/SİLOPİ

2006/SİLOPİ

2006/SİLOPİ

2006/ULUDERE

2006/SİLOPİ

SOURCE OF FINANCE and TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

• In 2006, the ‘Mitigating Flood Risk in Flooded Areas in the GAP Region’ project was started within the scope of the European Union Pre-accession Financing Agreement. The project is jointly financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey.

• After an international tender, the TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE contract of the Project was awarded to the Consultant Consortium of EPTISA Servicios de Ingenieria SA (the Leader), Hifab International AB and G&G Consulting.

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT

• Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU): the Contracting Authority for the grant contract with the Grant Beneficiaries is the CFCU.

• Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey (ECD): is the financing and approval Authority.

• Beneficiary Institution (BI): GAP-RDA (Southeastern Anatolia Project) is the Beneficiary Institution of the Grant Scheme and is responsible for the coordination of technical implementation.

• Project Management Unit (PMU): GAP-RDA has established a Project Management Unit (PMU). PMU will be responsible to ensure coordination with the Grant Beneficiaries and works in collaboration with TAT.

• Technical Assistance Team (TAT): the team provided by the Consortium Eptisa, Hifab and G&G under the consultancy contract, which provides technical assistance in the form of support services and training under the coordination of the PMU started working in December 2008. A project office has been set up in Şanlıurfa.

• Grant Beneficiaries: the beneficiary organisations of the Grant Scheme Programme those are directly responsible for the overall implementation of the various Projects to be carried out under the grant contract signed between that organisation and the CFCU.

• Other Beneficiaries: are all the institutional beneficiaries of the Flood Capacity Building.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

MAIN OBJECTIVE: To prevent flooding and its effects in the long term through local institutional capacity building in the GAP Region.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: • To improve the capacities of local governments and non-governmental

organisations in flood management and in the prevention of flood.

• To mitigate infrastructure, economic and social losses caused by flood.

• Within this scope, to reach the project objectives in the GAP provinces, Social Support and Physical Planning/Investment Grant Schemes have been launched.

GAPSEL COMPONENT 1: GRANT SCHEME(DECEMBER 2008-DECEMBER 2010)

• Social Projects (21 projects, total 2.2 million €): – Developing Disaster Awareness – Basic Health, Safe Motherhood, Human Rights of Women– Skill Building and Vocational Training

• Physical Projects (16 projects, 12.8 million €): – Inundation and Inundation Protection (Improvement of Stream Beds)– Infrastructure Repair (sewage system, drainage rain water and septic tank)– Disaster Management and Emergency Centre

. Preventing Flood Risk in Yedikapı and Yağcılar Roads Project

. Eruh Municipality Creek Rehabilitation Project

. Earthmoving Equipment Operator Training Project

Siirt

Şırnak • Side River Flood Control Project in Uludere

• Prevention of Flood Water Project in Cizre

• Women in Silopi Getting Ready for Disasters

Mardin • Nusaybin Çağ-Çağ Creek Rehabilitation Project

• Şenyurt Municipality Disaster Management Support Project

• Don’t Let Flood to be a Disaster

Diyarbakır• Flood Control Project in Central Bismil• Bring the past to today, and carry today into the future Project• Lice-Kocaköy-Ağaçlı Disaster Relief Group (LİKA-DRG) Project• Sustainable Flood Risk Management Project for Agricultural

Family Enterprises• Public Health Improvement in Villages of Bismil District Project• Disaster Awareness and Disaster Management Capacity

Building Project

Batman • Tuzlagölü Village Sewer and Rainwater System Repair Project,• Kavakdibi Village Sewer and Rainwater System Construction Project• Ulaşlı Village Sewer and Rainwater System Construction Project• Gökçepınar Village Rainwater Drainage and Sewer System Project,• Batman Emergency Management Centre Project• Touch Water and Soap Project• After the Flood Project• For a New Life Project• Flood Has No Mercy for the Disabled Project• Psychological Counselling and Social Support Centre Project• For a More Hopeful Future Project• Community Based Audio-Visual Disaster Education

Şanlıurfa • Flood Control Project in Kepez • Viranşehir Rainwater Drainage Project• Şanlıurfa Regional Disaster Centre Project• Korçik River Flood Control Project in Central Hilvan• Şanlıurfa is Well Prepared for Flood: You Can Prevent, Protect Yourself

and Rescue• Capacity Building for Decreasing Animal Losses from Flood in Şanlıurfa• Training Project for Improving Employment Opportunities for Disabled

Youth and Women • Safe Life Project• Learning to Live With Flooding and Contribute to Production• Health in Full Flood Project

GAPSEL COMPONENT 2: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (DECEMBER 2008- DECEMBER 2010)

• Provision of technical assistance to Grant Implementation

• Grant Scheme Monitoring and Evaluation

• Grant Scheme Dissemination

• Flood Risk Mitigation Capacity Building

• Stakeholder Participation

• Sustainability

All Capacity Building activities of the Project will be implemented with the aim to follow an Integrated Flood

Management (IFM) approach. Integrated Flood Management:

Ensures a Participatory Approach  Integrates Land and Water Management 

Manages the Water Cycle as a Whole Adopts a Best-Mix of Strategies

Adopts Integrated Hazard Management Approaches

What is needed to implement IFM?•Clear and objective policies supported with appropriate legislation, regulations and

economic instruments. •Institutional structures with appropriate linkages

•Community based institutions •Transparent information management and exchange among all stakeholders

SOME INFORMATION AND OBSERVATION RESULTS COMPILED IN THE RISK ANALYSIS PROCESS IN JANUARY 2009 FOR THE GRANT SCHEMES

QUESTION: What was the reason of the disaster? Why were there so many losses of life and property?

- Precipitation was more than expected- Infrastructure was insufficient- Houses/settlements were within stream beds- There was no alarm system

QUESTION: Was a crisis desk set up after the disaster? How was the communication between institutions?“A crisis desk was set up after the disaster and the communication between the institutions was good, but later on, the local governments were left alone.”

QUESTION: What improvements were made in infrastructure after the disaster?“Both the municipalities and the DSİ started to “prepare and implement flood control and improvement projects”. But no success / progress has been achieved in the prevention of granting of reconstruction permits in stream beds.”

SOME INFORMATION AND OBSERVATION RESULTS COMPILED IN THE RISK ANALYSIS PROCESS IN JANUARY 2009 FOR THE GRANT SCHEMES

QUESTION: Will it be possible to prevent flood risk with the projects prepared (physical infrastructure projects)?“Projects are made in accordance with the world standards; in particular, if the precipitation is above standards due to Global Warming, a disaster may recur.”

QUESTION: What should be done to prevent disasters? - The duties/responsibilities of local governments regarding “disasters” must be clarified. - Local governments must not zone stream beds for housing; moreover, find a solution to inappropriate places for

settlements. - “Disaster” awareness of people must be raised. - The importance of Civil Defence must be understood and participation of relevant institutions/organisations to

the trainings delivered must be ensured.- Just as it is the case for earthquakes, provincial flood management plans must be prepared. - We want to know what Disaster Affairs, DSİ, Meterology or any other Institution does, what their impact locally

and to the individual is, what their services are…- As NGOs, we also want to understand where in this process we exactly are.- We know that disaster is not only about post-disaster response; we also want to know and learn what kind of

planning must be made for the pre-disaster process and to assume responsibilities accordingly. - We want to know what the world is doing for protection from flood, can these be implemented here. - What are the early warning systems for flood, and we want this to be implemented in our province.- What should we do when the meteorology warns about a heavy rain? - Flood disaster and drought are the main problems that especially experienced in the Region.

24 MONTH

Meteorological Drought Map of Turkey in February 2009

(SPI Method)

2006/ŞANLIURFA

GAPSEL PROJECT www.gapsel.org/ bilgi@gapsel.ogr

• “… It is not easy to establish a mitigation culture. Even though we are in a position to cover the costs of mitigation practices today, the benefits thereof are in an uncertain future. Moreover, these benefits will not be tangible results, but disasters which have not occurred” (Kofi Annan, 1999)

THANK YOU…