When the river rises: EU support for the age-old struggle against flooding in the Meriç-Ergene Basin

When the river rises: EU support for the age-old struggle against flooding in the Meriç-Ergene Basin

"The floods come here often. The water rises and the land disappears. Sometimes the bridges disappear under the current, and you can't get to the villages. The animals don't stand a chance," says Mehmet Güzey, resident of Edirne.

According to Özcan Kayalı, a farmer from Uzunköprü, more than 60,000 decares of farmland in the Ergene Plain and 100,000 decares in the Meriç Plain were underwater in 2021. Once the river spreads across the fields, crop damage is inevitable.

Edirne is no stranger to flooding. Situated on the Meriç River, which marks the border between Türkiye and Greece, this ancient city has seen the river both nourish its land and threaten its people. The Meriç-Ergene basin is one of the most flood-prone regions in the country, and yet the floods are neither new nor unexpected. They are historic.

Ahmet Murat Özaltın, group leader at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Flood Management Department

"In Ottoman times, when Edirne was the capital [from the 1360s until 1453], they used to reach the palace by boat during floods," says Ahmet Murat Özaltın, civil engineer and group leader at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Flood Management Department. "But with climate change, the frequency and intensity of floods has grown."

"The Meriç-Ergene basin is a transboundary water system. Bulgaria, Greece, and Türkiye all share its fate. Yet, it is often Türkiye that is hardest hit," Mr. Özaltın continues. "That's why we needed a different kind of plan; one that looks at the entire basin, not just parts of a river."

And that's exactly what's happening, thanks to a landmark project titled "Technical Assistance for the Preparation of the Meriç-Ergene River Basin Flood Risk Management Plan", co-financed by the European Union (EU) through the IPA programme.

Merve Elif Erkayman, project control engineer

Merve Elif Erkayman, a control engineer involved in the project, explains the scope:

"Our project began in 2022, with joint funding from Türkiye and the EU. It's made up of six phases-from identifying high-risk zones based on past flood data and terrain analysis, to creating hydrological models, mapping affected structures, and designing evacuation strategies. We do not just study floods; we plan to control them."

Her team maps everything: how much water to expect, where it will spread, which buildings are in the flood zone, and which critical infrastructure - hospitals, water treatment plants, schools - needs to be protected or evacuated. The aim is not just to warn, but to act before disaster strikes.

Mesut Yılmaz, survey engineer

Survey Engineer Mesut Yılmaz brings in a technical perspective: "We conduct photogrammetric flights, measure every bridge and culvert, and create digital terrain models. From these, we simulate flood spread maps, depth maps, and velocity charts. These models allow us to estimate not only where the water will go, but how much damage it could do-and how much it would cost to recover."

But it's not just about money. It's about resilience. It's about transforming a crisis-prone region into a prepared one.

"In the past, we used to manage disasters after they happened. Now, we're shifting to risk-based planning. We identify the weak points and propose preventive measures-like redesigning riverbeds or designating temporary flood zones to absorb overflow before it reaches homes," says Mr. Özaltın.

This coordinated approach-bringing together the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye-is a model of cross-border environmental governance. Because nature doesn't care about borders; but people must. And climate change is not waiting.

At every bridge and culvert, the team measures the water level

In a region where agriculture, population, and industry intertwine, the need for sustainable, science-backed flood planning is not optional-it's essential.

The Acting Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, Jurgis Vilčinskas, says: "Floods know no borders, and neither should our solutions. The Meriç-Ergene Basin is a shared ecosystem, and our response must be equally shared, strategic, and science-based. Through this partnership, the EU is proud to stand with Türkiye in building long-term resilience for communities facing the growing threat of climate change. Together, we are turning knowledge into action and risk into preparedness."

The Acting Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, Jurgis Vilčinskas

What is IPA?

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is the means by which the EU has been supporting reforms in the enlargement region with financial and technical assistance since 2007. IPA funds build up the capacities of the beneficiaries throughout the accession process, resulting in progressive, positive developments in the enlargement region to which Türkiye belongs.

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