The Ministry has allocated a sum of NIS 30 million spread over 3 years
Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is launching an innovative digital tool which for the first time will help the drainage and streams authorities as well as decision-makers in the planning field, to form basin plans and manage risk floods, using a ‘step-by-step’ approach. For the formation process of these plans, the Ministry has allocated a sum of NIS 30 million spread over 3 years. Through the website, from now on, each citizen or authority, interested in the information, can now understand where flooding might happen, what is the scope of the expected damage, in which location development should take place and to which risk-free areas it should be moved.
Basin plans for managing flood risks serve as a strategic means for preparing towards climate change, and their purpose is to form a data-based action plan, in order to tackle basin flooding risks and to develop viable solutions, such as nature-based ones, to strengthen Israel’s climate resilience. In light of their importance, the Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging the drainage and streams authorities to approach these plans from a fresh angle, including amongst others, budget subsidies and digital accessibility. The digital tool is the result of cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with the Agma Centre for River and Streams Runoff Basins, which was established by inter-ministerial collaboration and philanthropic support, aiming to make accessible the information and knowledge of floods, streams and surface water runoff.
The new website standardises all the relevant information and know-how relating to flood risks and transforms complex hydrological language into one that is user-friendly and intelligible, by utilising unique visual and graphic tools. The digital tool accompanies the planning authorities and professionals in designing ‘step-by-step’ plans for managing flood risks, starting from the initial charting and ending with offering a feasible response, in line with the new national methodology.
