Opening conference

Opening conference for the LIFE + project Hydro-climate recovery on 16 May 2013 (Campus Pohoda, Brestov).

The conference was attended by 93 people (mayors, members of municipal councils, farmers, foresters of villages in the Ondavka basin). The conference was also attended by representatives of the governments of other municipalities of eastern Slovakia, administrators of watercourses (Slovak Water Management Company and State Forests of the Slovak Republic), representatives of the local government (Office for the Environment, Land Office, Forest Office, Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family) covering the Ondavka river basin. The conference was also attended by representatives of the media who work in the Zemplin region.

The opening conference presented analysis results and proposed solutions, schedule of activities, details of the project, the structure of technical support for the project and a summary of the study "Water for healthier climate in Ondavka basin", which consists of three parts:

- ANALYSIS OF DAMAGE TO THE COUNTRY
- TYPES OF MEASURES
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR FORESTED AND AGRICULTURAL LAND AND URBAN LAND

After the presentation and discussion have been held, the municipal councils agreed on a resolution to adopt the proposed solutions. The working part of the conference resulted in an agreement by the eight municipalities on the need to start work on the implementation of the proposed measures in and around the involved villages in the summer months. Furthermore, the municipalities, in collaboration with with the regional association of municipalities Ondavka basin agreed to establish lists of potential people who will be employed in the implementation of water conservation measures in the first phase by the end of 2013.

Participants expressed their opinion on the quality of presentations and the solutions proposed in a questionnaire handed out at the end of the presentation, whose results were processed are summarized in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 51 out of 93 conference participants.