„RESTORATION OF STRUMICA RIVER BASIN – Implementation phase“

For several decades, the ecological state of the Strumica river basin is under threat from pollution and increase of the consumption of water for agricultural and industrial development and urban centers.
Unsustainable agricultural practices, including the growing use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides and inefficient irrigation methods have a negative effect on the quality and quantity of water.
The consumption of water by the economy and settlements, combined with the method of water management, increases the fluctuations of water levels, raising the risk of floods and droughts.
These accumulated pressures have increased the vulnerability of ecosystems to climate change, which, in turn, affect the rising temperatures and extreme weather events. This increased variability in water resources is an additional threat to the socio – economic status of the population, which is largely dependent on agricultural production.
Implementation of this project will enable mitigation of threats and strengthening the resistance of the basin to climate change.

Objectives of the project:

• Effective water management by establishing a new mechanism for balancing the interests on water management and optimizing the benefits for the local economy and the environment;
• Reducing the risk of floods through the establishment of the Early Warning System;
• Establishment of sustainable agricultural practices through organizing trainings, awarding grants and direct support in the introduction of sustainable farming practices;
• Establishment of pollution control by demonstrating the decentralized treatment of sewage water, as efficient and cost effective solutions with potential for their wider application in the region.