The Moldo-Czech project
“Surface
Water Monitoring and Flood Prevention in the river Raut”(2006-2008)
in the frame of the Czech Republic Assistance
Programme
The territory of Moldova is very
frequently affected by catastrophic floods. In this regards it is necessary to
implement systematic measures for flood risk reduction. One of them is the
establishment of an adequate monitoring and warning system, as well other
flood protection measures. Unfortunately, the economical situation of Moldova
makes these activities more difficult to realize. Therefore the training of
the State Hydrometeorological Service specialists was included in the list of
primary activities agreed during the negotiations about the relevant foreign
assistance.
The State Hydrometeorological
Service proposed to transpose, as a pilot-project, the new developments in the
field of surface water monitoring, early warning and flood protection
measures. That technological innovation was supposed to be implemented in the
Raut river basin.
The Raut river is the right
tributary of Nistru river. Its length is 286 km and the surface of the basin
is 7760 km2. The riverain network of the basin has a ligneous
character, its average density is 0,48 km/ km2. In the upper and
lower course of the river, where the riverain network is uniform and
regulated, the Raut river has 4 left tributaries: Cubolta, Cainar, Camenca,
Dobruşca, and 3 right tributaries: Copceanca, Soloneţ, Ciuluc. In the lower
course (the last 80 km) the river has a right tributary - Cula and a left
tributary – Cogîlnic.
After the Soviet Union
collapse, the State Hydrometeorological Service didn’t have the necessary
financial means to maintain and equip the stations network. As a result the
hydrological network of Moldova became obsolete comparing to the European
standards, as regards to the technical assurance of the stations: for example
the equipment for the hydrometric measurements, communications and information
transfer and process, lack of a warning system.
On the Raut river there are located
5 seasonal hydrologic monitoring stations. The water channels and the water
conditions are monitored at each of the five stations (Bălţi – population
number 150 000, Teleneşti – population number 80 000, and Cubolta, Sevirovo,
Jeloboc – population number in the limits of 50 000).
The spring floods begin in February
and culminate in March and their flowing water volume increases 100 times.
The main tasks of the pilot project
were:
-
Know-how transfer, after the selection of the stations sites in the
Raut river basin,
-
Establishment of the measurement stations and equipment,
-
Determination of the hydrological models, including the training of the
specialists in situ,
-
Implementation of other complex pilot projects in the flood protection
area (determination of the territories affected by floods, development of
action plans and of the draft prevention measures) on the selected
territories.
In the key hydrologic profiles of
the measurement stations (by using the existing monitoring stations network)
there will be developed and implemented projects related to installation of
equipment and software for the continuous measurement of the precipitations,
air temperature (and other meteorological parameters) and surface status,
including the instant calculation of the channel on the basis of the graphics
with measurable curves. In order to develop the warning network, the critical
volume of the channel was determined.
On some separate territories, where
the measurements were already carried out and the hydrological databases were
full enough, the flooding areas and the flood plans were developed with the
aid of the hydrological models (for example for the localities Cubolta,
Sevirovo, Teleneşti, Bălţi or Jeloboc). In the frame of the flood plans there
were selected adequate locations for carrying out flood prevention measures.
The last stage of the project was the projection of separate objects for flood
protection (dry soil dams, reservoirs and water channel) in order to reduce
the flood extent and to influence the flooding process.
During the project implementation the
local specialists were familiarized with the building and maintenance works of
the measuring instruments and with the data transfer and process system, as
well as with the modern methods of hydrological modeling, work on the flood
plan and technical details of the flood protection methods.
I stage (2006) – collection of the
monitoring data and of the hydrological models. In the first stage of the
project implementation in Moldova: 21 September -10 October 2006, 4 Czech
experts, leaded by the project manager – Helena Baberadova, together with the
specialists of the State Hydrometeorological Service, carried out the
activities planned for the first stage of the project, i.e. determination of
the 3 hydrological monitoring points in the frame of the project: Teleneşti,
Bălţi şi Jeloboc.
II stage (2007) – process of the
flooded area with the aid of the hydrological models and development of the
plans for the areas exposed to flood risk, assistance in the administration of
the monitoring network, training activities.
III stage (2008) – technical flood
protection measures and assistance in carrying out the network monitoring.
The project activities were carried
out by the Czech Company «AQUATEST» in cooperation with the State
Hydrometeorological Service specialists. The project activities implied the
acquisition of the materials necessary for the implementation of the project,
that afterwards were handed over to the Service free of charge.
