The Old Town Hall of Lorquí hosts today the third meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the LIFE FloodProof project, an initiative co-financed by the European Union that works to improve flood risk management in the municipalities of the middle section of the Segura River basin through inter-institutional cooperation and knowledge-based decision-making through local governance groups.
A European project serving the municipalities of Segura
LIFE FloodProof is a European Union LIFE project involving riverside municipalities in the Segura basin—including Ceutí, Las Torres de Cotillas, Alguazas and Lorquí—along with entities such as the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia, and other technical and research-type entities such as the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT), the Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS), and the LandLab and EuroVértice (EV) team, with the common goal of reducing vulnerability to flooding in urban environments.
Today's session marks a key milestone in the development of the project, with the sharing of progress made in the different work packages, and the planning of the next steps.
Day for knowledge, governance and pilot action
The meeting began with a review of the project's status, including monitoring indicators, and the upcoming mandatory work, led by the Ceutí City Council.
Subsequently, the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia (FMRM) presented the progress in communication, with special attention to the communication plan, what key messages to disseminate among citizens for awareness and sensitization, and the local citizen awareness campaigns.
One of the most technical blocks was presented by the teams from UPCT, LandLab and EuroVértice, who discussed the collection of geomorphological and historical data on flooding, the redefinition of flood and risk maps, the identification of opportunities for urban green infrastructure, the analysis of European best practices in risk management and the monitoring of variables using SAICA systems and ecological quality sensors.
Following the sharing of the more technical aspects, EuroVértice and UPCT led the Governance and Participation session, presenting the progress in local governance groups, citizen monitoring groups, and the Early and Real-Time Hydrological Warning System, framed within the agreement with AEMET.
The Alguazas City Council presented its pilot project, followed by the presentation of proposals for improving urban planning, and feedback from the field visits carried out the previous day to the spaces proposed for pilot projects, by LandLab.
First cycle of governance meetings completed
Yesterday, April 27, 2026, also marked a significant milestone for the project: the conclusion of the first complete cycle of local governance meetings with all participating municipalities. Lorquí was the last to hold its meeting, thus closing a round that has visited all four municipalities involved in LIFE FloodProof and has laid the groundwork for citizen participation and joint decision-making regarding flood risk management.
These meetings, led by the Local Governance Groups, have made it possible to identify key actors, establish channels for participation and strengthen the institutional commitment of each municipality to the project's objectives.
Also yesterday, the LandLab team conducted technical field visits to the municipalities of Ceutí, Las Torres de Cotillas, Alguazas and Lorquí, with the aim of evaluating the spaces that are candidates to host the pilot actions of the project.
About LIFE FloodProof
LIFE FloodProof is a project co-financed by the European Union's LIFE Programme whose objective is to improve urban resilience to flooding in the municipalities of the middle section of the Segura River basin, through multi-actor cooperation, applied scientific knowledge, green infrastructure and citizen participation.
