The Basque Government calls for tenders for works in the Estepona River for flood protection and adaptation to climate change in Bakio
02/06/2025
The works, which have been put out to tender by URA, will create an inland marsh and a floodable forest to increase flood safety in the urban area and hence increase the climate resilience of Bakio.
This action is part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project: the largest climate action project in the Basque Country, which sets out to transform the Basque region by coordinating a total of 40 climate change mitigation and adaptation actions between 2019 and 2025, led by Ihobe.
Through URA - Basque Water Agency, the Basque Government’s Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability has put out to tender the works on the Estepona River for the environmental improvement, flood protection and adaptation to climate change in Bakio. The works will create an inland marsh in the Bakea area (with tidal influence) and a floodable forest through nature-based solutions (as well as its adaptation as a park for public use in shallow water) in both Bakea and Solozarre.
The work to be carried out in Bakio was presented last April by the councillor Mikel Jauregi, who pointed out that "failure to act in light of climate change costs more than investing in solutions to adapt to its impact. With this intervention in Bakio, we will reduce the risk of flooding, preserve the river ecosystem and also improve the quality of life of the citizens".
The intervention requires an investment of €2,973,000, with an estimated execution period of 10 months, and it is part of the European LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 climate action project. It is the largest climate action project in the Basque Country, which sets out to transform the Basque region by coordinating a total of 40 climate change mitigation and adaptation actions between 2019 and 2025. It is led by the public environmental management company, Ihobe.
These actions will enable the river’s physical and biological processes to be recovered, providing it with more space for its natural course, reduce the effects of flooding downstream and therefore, flood safety in the urban area will be increased. As a result, the resilience of Bakio to climate change and possible changes in rainfall patterns will be improved.
It is estimated that, once the works have been carried out, the surface area occupied by flood flows will be reduced by 6 hectares in Bakea and Solozarre with a return period of 100 years. The urban centre of Bakio is located in an area with a significant risk of flooding, according to the mapping of Areas with a Significant Potential Risk of Flooding (ARPSI) of the Estepona River.
"This initiative not only protects Bakio, but becomes a reference model to protect other municipalities and regions. For this reason, the Basque Country is committed to solutions inspired by nature and the power of ecosystems as the main strategy to adapt the territory and hence protect people from the effects of climate change. Therefore, we are convinced that our model requires collaboration between different institutions", concluded Jauregi.
LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050, an expanding project
The intervention for the flood protection and environmental improvement of the Estepona River in Bakio is part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project which, co-financed by the European Commission, seeks to strengthen the resilience of the Basque territory in light of climate change. Thanks to the extension approved by the European Commission, the Basque Country's largest climate action project will be extended until the end of 2026. €13.87 million have been invested to date, representing 70% of the initial budget. Currently, 80% of the planned actions are being implemented and 10% have already been completed.
