On Tuesday, 24 February 2026, the Slovenian parallel online event FLOODS AND RISK – Monitoring and Research for Improved Safety took place as part of the TORRENT project. The event was attended by more than 40 participants.
The opening address was delivered by Assist. Prof. Vesna Zupanc, PhD, while the scientific seminar entitled Reducing the Risk of Debris Flows was presented by Jošt Sodnik, PhD. As part of the seminar, the case of Koroška Bela was presented, where there is a high probability of mass flow occurrence due to active landslides in the headwaters of the Bela River tributaries.
Between 2006 and 2023, numerous studies were carried out in this area, and in 2025 project documentation was prepared for the implementation of the most urgent measures on the Bela River to increase the safety of the residents of Koroška Bela, as well as for the design of a debris-flow breaker structure. Austrian guidelines for torrent control structures were taken into account as the basis for the design.
Following the scientific seminar, Luka Žvokelj also presented the activities carried out so far within the TORRENT project, as well as the current results of the project. The aim of the project is to assess the condition of torrent control structures on selected pilot watercourses and to identify common practices for optimizing maintenance and potential improvements.
