On the 9th and 10th of October 2024, the Sora Development Agency and Slovenian Environment Agency, hosted the 4th project partner meeting in Škofja Loka, Slovenia.
The meeting was opened by the deputy mayor of the municipality of Škofja Loka, Robert Strah. He emphasized the importance of addressing flood issues in the Škofja Loka area and noted that effective management and flood prevention measures are essential to avoid expensive remediation.
The director of the Meteorological Office, Mojca Dolinar, highlighted the importance of the project in transferring knowledge and exchanging experiences with other countries facing similar challenges related to climate change.
Klemen Srna, the director of the Sora Development Agency, added that the entire collaboration is crucial for addressing flash floods, and he particularly stressed the significance of the collaboration between the Sora Development Agency, Slovenian Environment Agency and the civil protection commanders of the municipalities withing the pilot area. As part of the project, they have established and are testing a special hydrological forecast for the local area, with threshold values for water flows coordinated by the commanders and Slovenian Environment Agency to ensure that, when thresholds are exceeded, the forecast will be as accurate and local as possible to assist the key services.
During the meeting, we reviewed the activities carried out so far. We concluded with an analysis of past and future extreme weather events. Currently we are preparing risk assessments and planning the second workshops for key stakeholders involved in extreme weather events.
The partner meeting was enriched with two field visits. On the first day of the meeting, we visited the flood-prone area of Škofja Loka. The Civil Protection commander of the Škofja Loka municipality presented the history of floods, the challenging torrential nature of the watercourses in the area, various aspects of last year’s floods, and the role of Civil Protection in such events.
At the confluence, our colleague from the Slovenian Environment Agency presented the “high water mark” initiative, highlighting the importance of engaging with local communities in flood risk awareness.
The meeting concluded with a visit to Železniki, where representatives from the Slovenian Water Agency, project designers, and the construction site manager gave an overview of the flood protection project. The construction of a dry reservoir in Železniki is a critical step toward improving flood resilience in the region.
