Flood prevention in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain (WWDR2, 2006)
Click on the map to access a detailed view. Map prepared for WWAP by AFDEC.
The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (ACB) is 1 of 17 autonomous bodies of Spain. The region's rugged surface conditions and high rainfall have, in the past, prompted serious flooding and a number of droughts. The last major flood, in 1983, registered over half a metre (500 mm/m²) of rainfall in 24 hours, leaving 34 people dead and more than 1,200 millions euros in damage.
As a response to these extreme events, in 1992, ACB implemented an Integral Plan of Flood Prevention and the region has also established an extremely dense hydrometeorological monitoring network, with over 330 control stations currently in operation. Furthermore, a network with 360 sampling points has been set up in order to survey the environmental status of all aquatic ecosystems and regional water bodies.
- Read the summary case study [bookmark pointing to full WWDR2 - PDF - 16 MB]
- Read the full case study report prepared in 2003-2006 [PDF - 5.26 MB, in Spanish]
This geographical area was also examined in the following Report:
- The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain (WWDR3, 2009)
