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Vienna, 10 March 2008 - The first international system for forecasting Danube floods and providing an early flood warning was launched today by the ICPDR and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission.
The new system will provide the national authorities of countries in the Danube River Basin with up to 10 days to prepare for large floods.

The Danube River Basin is Europe's second largest river basin, with a total area of 801,463 km². It is the world's most international river basin, flowing through the territory of 19 countries. The ecosystems of the Danube River Basin are highly valuable in environmental, economic, historical and social terms, but they are subject to increasing pressure and serious threats of pollution from agriculture, industry and cities.

Floods are natural phenomena. They can, however, turn into disasters causing widespread damage, health problems and even deaths. This is especially the case where rivers have been cut off from their natural floodplains, are confined to man-made channels, and where houses and industrial sites have been constructed in areas that are naturally liable to flooding.