Resilience, participation and risk reduction are the key words of the project, whose final event took place in Genoa, on February 5th
The final event of PROTERINA-3Évolution, the project dedicated to the enhancement of territory response to flood risk, in particular through the participation of citizens in civil protection risk planning, took place on February 5th, in Genoa.
Structural measures and technology, but also awareness and good practices
PROTERINA-3Évolution was carried out within the Interreg Italy-France 2014-2020. For three years, it has involved various Italian regions (Liguria, Sardinia and Tuscany), Corsica and areas of the French Riviera. The event signing the closure of the project took place in the historical seat of Palazzo Ducale. This day of conferences, round tables and laboratories for children and adults has retraced the evolution of the project and, in particular, the results achieved. Among these, for example, the installation of anti-flood barriers and mobile bulkheads in five Ligurian schools and in Sardinian gyms, schools and municipalities, or the enhanced hydro-meteorological monitoring, both on land and on the sea. There was also the installation of a rain garden in the Noli headquarter of the Istituto Comprensivo di Campomorone. This is a garden on a draining ground, with plants suitable for water collection. In this way, the rain garden slows the hydric flux and indirectly reduces the flood risk.
Not all of the results achieved within the project included structural measures or technological innovations. Good practices, awareness and behavior modifications are also important for risk reduction. All citizens, in fact, should be prepared and aware to face floods. For this reason, the participatory approach that allowed for discussions between different stakeholders represented a fundamental part of PROTERINA-3Évolution. Moreover, the project has achieved the definition of criteria for river contracts in two pilot areas of Tuscany. River contracts are a voluntary planning agreement between private and public bodies for the protection and the management of hydraulic resources, for the valorization of river areas and the safeguard from hydraulic risk, contributing to local development.
The school at the heart
The final event of the project gathered all those contributed for the achievement of these results, working together to build a more resilient society. The focus of the day has been the school, not only as critical infrastructure, but also as physic and cultural place where education, also for risk reduction, acquires a special importance. During the years of projects, parents, teachers and students have been actively involved on issues of civil protection and flood risk reduction planning. In the occasion of the final event, the students who participated received the “alert backpack”. Born from an idea proposed during the participated encounters in Val Polcevera (Liguria), it is designed for when, due to a flood emergency, students have to stay a bit longer at school. It contains snacks, a water bottle and toys. Although simple, the backpack is a good representation of the good practice to adopt during a flood, such as remaining in a safe place.
“The final event and all the PROTERINA-3Évolution project has been focused on issues important for CIMA Research Foundation: the integration between warning systems, planning, security in the schools and communication with citizens, in order to create resilient communities and institutions”, says Luca Ferraris, president of CIMA Research Foundation. “It is emerging clearly that these procedures improve the trust in institutions and create a reservoir of social capital and resilience. The synergy created between administrations and schools is also important for the civil protection culture dissemination and as potential center for defining strategies and for the capacity response of each territory, in particular concerning flood risk”
For more information: the website of the project, the list of partners, description and program of the final event