NATO SCIENCE FOR PEACE PROJECT ON MANAGEMENT OF TRANSBOUNDARY FLOODS IN THE CRISUL-KÖRÖS RIVER SYSTEM

Abstract

Experience of recent years indicates frequent occurrence of large and extreme floods in many parts of the world, including Europe (Marsalek 2000). One region, which suffers from flood damages on a regular basis, is the transboundary area of the Crisul Alb and Crisul Negro rivers flowing from Romania into Hungary, where they are known as Kőrős rivers. Floods in this area typically start in the mountainous terrain of the upper parts of the basin in Romania and propagate to the plains in Hungary. Recent floods in this area include the two spring 2000 floods, which caused on the Romanian territory damages of more than $US 20 million (Brakenridge et al. 2001). These losses included damages to houses, roads and railways, bridges, hydraulic structures, loss of domestic animals, and business losses. On the Hungarian territory, a particularly notable flood occurred in the summer of 1980, with total losses of $US 15 million, including destruction of farmhouses and large losses in agriculture (Brakenridge et al. 2001).