INTEGRATING FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT INTO MANAGEMENT PRACTICE (CASE STUDY IN BULGARIA)

The aim of the current publication is to present a conceptual framework for integration of flood risk assessment into flood management practice in Republic of Bulgaria – the case study of Yantra River Basin. The conceptual framework is based on the concept of flood risk, which presents risk as the combination of ‘probability of flooding’ and ‘negative consequences’ for Human health, Economy, Environment and Cultural heritage. Flood risk management is a holistic and continuous process, which includes analysis of the flood risk system (determination of current and future flood risk), the evaluation of a certain system state (judgement on risk and risk reduction alternatives) and the reduction of undesirable risk (strategic alternatives for flood risk reduction). A central place in the conceptual framework take the applied methodological approach for flood risk assessment and mapping of Yantra River Basin, which allows application of different flood risk management regimes before, during and after the flood event A number of flood risk reduction alternatives are analysed. The major findings of the research are flood vulnerability and risk maps of the Yantra River, as well as identified interventions in the river flood-risk system based on physical measures and policy instruments.