Türkiye faces unique flood challenges—a combination of rapid urbanization and high development pressure in riverfront areas. Coupled with climate change impacts, this has underscored the need to improve the country’s existing flood early warning systems (FEWS) that rely mainly on real-time water-level observation with limited forecasting capabilities. 

A delegation from Türkiye—including representatives from the State Hydraulic Works (DSI), Directorate General of Water Management (DGWM), Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), and the Presidency’s Strategy and Budget Office (SBO)—participated in a technical knowledge exchange event on FEWS in Japan. This technical knowledge exchange aimed to support Türkiye in strengthening its capacity on flood early warning systems. This knowledge exchange contributes to the ongoing Türkiye Flood and Drought Management Project (FDMP) financed by the World Bank and jointly implemented by DSI and DGWM. Through the project, improvements to the existing FEWS will be made on the technical design of the flood forecasting system, as well as on institutional coordination and public awareness raising. The event shared information on how Japan operates and manages its flood early warning systems.

In Shizuoka City, the Tomoegawa River Flood Information System was introduced to the delegates. The system integrates real-time water level data from river and stormwater drainage sensors and real-time hydraulic simulations to provide citizens with real-time information on areas likely to be inundated. In Tokyo, the participants explored Japan’s large-scale flood risk management program, implemented through a combination of hard and soft measures. The delegation also visited the Arakawa Museum of Aqua (AMOA), which houses disaster response facilities at the Arakawa-Karyu (downstream) River Office, this also provided the delegation with insights into how inter-agency coordination is managed during emergencies. A key highlight was the visit to the ongoing construction of Arakawa No. 2 and No. 3 Retarding Basins, which can temporarily store excess floodwater up to 51 million cubic meters to protect the densely populated eastern part of Tokyo metropolitan area.

The participants engaged with Japanese institutions such as the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as well to understand their collaboration mechanism when disseminating flood warnings to the public.

Japan’s flood management system is unique for its dedicated river basin offices, strong inter-agency coordination, and high level of public engagement. The integration of structural measures (levees, dams, retarding basins) with non-structural measures (early warning systems, real-time monitoring, public education) ensures effective flood risk management. The technical knowledge exchange highlighted Japan’s good practice in FEWS and its complementarities with European Union (EU) regional practices such as the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) for riverine floods. Overall, the knowledge exchange provided actionable insights for the participating Türkiye agencies. By applying these lessons learned to Türkiye’s context, the participating agencies can accelerate improvements in forecasting, coordination, and community preparedness, strengthening the country’s overall flood resilience.