The Project aims at decreasing flood and potential flood hazards of the targeted territory, as well as restoring the water runoff capacity of the Baja-Bezdan Canal. The interventions in the project are set to improve the cross-border water management and risk prevention system. Background: Complex development of the regional water management system of the area of the Baja-Bezdan (Ferenc) Canal covers the area of the South Great Plain Region in Hungary and Bačka and Banat Regions in Serbia. The Canal is a water management and technical facility of international relevance. The main functions of the Canal are water supply and inland water outlet (also used for sports and recreation purposes). Sections of the Canal, including its technical premises, form parts of the flood prevention system. The water supply capacity has decreased significantly due to non-maintenance, the increased quantity of biomass, and mud-related water quality problems. The target area of the Project consists of: the Baja-Bezdan Canal (both the Hungarian and the Serbian sections of the Canal), the Vrbas-Bezdan Canal on the Serbian side and the Bezdan Lock and the Šebešfok Lock located on it. The Vrbas-Bezdan Canal is in Bačka, in Vojvodina, stretching from Bezdan, all the way to Vrbas. The related facilities are the Bezdan Lock and the Šebešfok Lock. The Bezdan Lock has been out of use because of the condition of its construction and its hydro-mechanical machinery. It is still a significant facility within the Canal Danube-Tisa-Danube (DTD) Hydro-system, which makes its functionality essential. The Šebešfok Lock is located where the Baja-Bezdan Canal flows into the Bezdan-Vrbas Canal. The Lock was an industrial facility enabling navigation and the only way of transporting goods in the region. The main activities of the project are: Dredging of canal sections and building of driftwood removal platforms and boat ramps in Hungary; Reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Bezdan Lock and the Šebešfok Lock; Procurement of special equipment for maintenance in Hungary and in Serbia; The Project’s aim is also to have its results provide a solid basis for its further developments.
