New canal project to curb flood threats from Bulgaria

Turkey is counting down to the launch of Canal Edirne, a last-straw project to stave off floods caused by opening of floodgates in neighboring Bulgaria, frequently flooding Turkish towns near the border. The project is expected to be wrapped up in September and will change the course of floodwaters, directing them to an evacuation canal to prevent the threat of floods to Edirne, a city near the border with Bulgaria, as well as help boost irrigation of agricultural lands.

Turkish authorities have blamed Bulgaria for failing to take measures to upgrade their reservoirs after Bulgaria opened the floodgates following torrential rains last year, which inundated the neighboring Turkish province of Edirne. Three rivers broke their banks when water levels suddenly increased after the floodgates opened, leading to flooding in the central districts of Edirne. Turkey has repeatedly warned Bulgaria about flooding in the past, when smaller scale floods threatened Turkish cities. Authorities said earlier that Bulgaria's dams do not have enough capacity to prevent flooding. Dams usually have reservoirs to allow storage of extra water. Several Turkish citizens have filed lawsuits against Bulgaria in protest against flooding damage. Turkey and Bulgaria have signed protocols and drafted an agreement for joint dam construction project along a river that would hold water in peak season for torrential rains and contribute to the irrigation of some 15,000 hectares of lands in Turkey and Bulgaria. However the agreement, reached in 2006, failed to come to fruition as Bulgaria did not finalize the agreement. Experts attribute the reluctance to a "lack of benefits" for Bulgaria, as the dam will be in Turkish territories and the reservoir in Bulgaria. According to experts, the operation of dams by the private sector in Bulgaria is among the main causes of flooding. They claim private-run hydro-electric power plants, seeking to boost energy production, keep water levels at the maximum in their reservoirs throughout the year, blocking the flow of excess water which forces them to open the floodgates during torrential rains. Currently, an early warning system is active in Bulgaria to warn Turkey about the rise in water levels, but it is only helpful in preventing flood-related casualties and does not allow the prevention of flood-related damage.

Canal Edirne will decrease the high water levels in case of floodwaters in Meriç River and will stretch for 7,800 meters. The canal will carry 773 cubic meters of water per second.