Flooding and water management. In 2001 a study commissioned by the Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao-Bizkaia (the metropolitan water company) proposed the construction of two draining tunnels 3.5 km away from the bed of the Xxx xx Xxxxxx (Xxxxxx, 2009). The cost of such a project was estimated at EUR 220m, however the project failed to be implemented (Xxxxxx, 2009). The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has invested EUR 11m for the reconstruction and reinforcement of the piers of the Nervion River in Bilbao. Bilbao Ria 2000, the project connecting all levels of government to sponsor city investment, has completed a project for the construction of a new water sanitation system which reduces environmental contamination of the city (UN, 2013). The project cost a total of EUR 1bn (UN, 2013). The Basque Government has also put in place legally binding building restrictions in areas at risk of flooding. If a zone is at a 10 year risk of flooding, then building is not permitted (Xxxxxx, 2013). In flood-prone areas restrictions on land use are addressed to avoid major damage. Specifically, the PEMU recommends the following limitations: • Future residential buildings’ ground floor must be at a level not affected by 100 years-flood or hazardous damage from 500 years-flood. • Non-residential buildings must be at a level high enough to avoid water to reach 0.5 metres above the floor of the building.
Flooding and water management. Storm water drainage and flooding prevention have received substantial attention from the Hyderabad authorities. A number of strategies have been outlined that aim to improve the current drainage system, increase construction of additional drains, and divert drains in problem areas. The Drainage Rehabilitation Program aims to improve and strengthen the connections between secondary and tertiary drains to primary drains, as well as prioritising maintenance such as controlling weed growth, limiting dumping of waste and controlling the growth of encroachments, with urban local bodies desilting drains before the onset of the monsoon season. The Improvement Works and Construction of Tertiary Drains strategy aims to increase the drain coverage to 130% of road length, and to convert all unlined drains to drains lined with brickwork and masonry. The strategies for Conservation of Water Bodies and Protection of Environmental Resources include initiatives to restore water bodies to their original condition, protect water bodies and open spaces from further encroachments. The Green Hyderabad Environment Program aims to protect around 30 of the 169 lakes in the metropolitan area, while Rehabilitation of Ecosystems plans to deepen and construct side walls for both drains and tanks, which would limit the risk of flooding, and desilting of drains and tank beds would remove toxic and hazardous materials, as well as increasing capacity of tanks. Monitoring and Quality Control have been planned to be undertaken by the urban local boards by testing of water quality parameters within their respective jurisdictions and taking corrective measures for any cases of results worse than permissible standards (GHMC, 2005). The 2005 GHMC City Development Plan included cost allocations for some of the city’s outlined projects. The seven year plan included expenditure of INR 20,640m (around EUR 350m) on upgrades of storm water drains. This included INR 320m (EUR 5m) on capacity building, INR 7,020m (EUR 120m) on primary drains rehabilitation and INR 7,700m (EUR 130m) on the construction of secondary and tertiary drains.
