In the Netherlands the new approach is called “Space for the Rivers” and as the name suggests includes backward dike relocation, removing hydraulic obstacles from the floodway, lowering of groynes and many other measures.

In Hungary where the Tisza river is in focus the “Update of the Vásárhelyi Plan” is set to start to solve flood control issues through an integrated way together with a rural development programme in the eastern part of the country.

In both countries public involvement is considered an important part of these processes recognizing that the success of these immense endeavors depends on the stakeholders participation.

To change ideas and experiences professionals of the two countries attended a workshop in Szolnok, Hungary 2-4 October 2003, titled “Flood management challenges in the 21st century” organized by the Middle Tisza Valley District Water Authority within the framework of the traditional Dutch-Hungarian cooperation on water management.

The present volume contains the papers of this event in the two official languages English and Hungarian. Regarding the terms used by the two groups of participants (and then translated into English or Hungarian) certain differences can be observed.

For describing flood protection structures Dutch professionals prefer to use dike or dyke, while Hungarian colleagues usually say levee or sometimes embankment. More interesting is the perception of the area between and beyond the dikes / levees. For Dutch flood plain is what is found between, saying that once an area has been protected by dikes it is no more flood plain. Hungarians claim that the area, which could be inundated in the (theoretical) absence of levee is the flood plain, and the area between levees is called foreshore. The Hungarian translation of Dutch-English flood plain is therefore “hullámtér” (space of waves), and in the Hungarian-English papers flood plain means the low-lying area below flood level beyond the levees.

What does a flood mean in the Netherlands? It is when the dike breaks or it is overtopped and the protected area becomes unprotected and flooded. It is a disaster. For a Hungarian flood is when the flood alert (level i, ii, or iii) is announced, that is a flood wave is coming. For Dutch it is, in the worst case, a near flood.

Whether flood or near flood, levee or dike, I believe the workshop and its documented outcome, i.e. the present volume and the CD-ROM (containing also two interesting videos as courtesy of Mr. Keijts and Mr. Váradi) are all beneficial and useful instruments for avoiding real floods in any of our countries.

Szolnok-Budapest, November 2003

József Gayer, editor