A Dutch Blue Deal delegation visited Romania from 8-11 July. The main goal was to discuss the content and scope of 2 workshops on behalf of the development a Decision Support System (DSS) in Romania. The workshops are foreseen in 2024 and 2025 to let Romanian experts learn the basics of developing a DSS.
DSS is a system that provides computer-driven technological solutions that help in making decisions to solve complex problems.
The Blue Deal work visit kicked off with a meeting at the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (NIHWM) headquarters and was dedicated to the expectations of the current workshop. At first, Mr. De Ruyter of the Unie van Waterschappen gave an update about the Blue Deal partnership.
Next, the director of NIHWM, Mr. Matreata, gave a presentation about the NIHWM systems currently used for water management in Romania, and the linkage between meteorological administration information and hydrological forecast centre products.
DSS complementary to current systems
After an extended lunch, Mr. Matreta explained how a DSS can be complementary to the systems already in function. He also gave an insight in the current developments for the flash flood warning system. To give a slight impression of some possibilities of a DSS, Mr. van der Zwan from the Dutch water authority Rijnland explained how Rijnland has developed a DSS and how it is used on a daily basis.
With the insights of both the Romanian partners and the Dutch visitors, the discussions focused on the most sufficient pathway to implement a DSS in Romania and especially the critical points to take in consideration. To implement a DSS step-by-step, the first step is to develop a pre-operational DSS for a part of the Arges-Vedea river basin.
Visit to Arges-Vedea River Basin
The next day, the delegation was given a warm welcome by the Arges-Vedea River Basin Administration (RBA Arges-Vedea) in Pitesti. Mr. Cristian Barbu of the RBA Arges-Vedea provided insights in the water management in the watershed of Arges-Vedea.
After a perfect stay in the beautiful area of Voina in the northern part of the basin, the next day the discussion continued about how the water management in the Arges-Vedea basin is done. The participants concluded what the starting points were for a DSS in the Arges-Vedea basin, and how to develop, implement and maintain a DSS.
In the afternoon, the Rausor dam, one of the major dams in the Arges-Vedea basin, was visited. The participants were informed about dam management and technical issues.
How to develop basis knowledge on DSS
On the last day of the visit, the Dutch and Romanian participants had an online meeting with HKV and Deltares. They discussed the content of the workshops and the level of detail. The participants that will attend the workshops will develop basic skills about developing a DSS and gain basic knowledge of the structure of a DSS. This knowledge will be of utmost importance for upscaling a DSS other areas in Romania. Funding of the workshops comes from Blue Deal, NARW and NWB Fund.
After the meeting was finalised, the Dutch participants flew back home, looking back on a fruitful visit, and looking forward to the next steps in this process.
