Minister: Costs of revitalising rivers would reach CZK 115bn (Prague Daily Monitor)

Costs of the revitalisation of rivers so that they are able to better hold back water during floods would reach around Kc115bn, Environment Minister Ladislav Miko said in the discussion programme Questions of Vaclav Moravec on the Czech Television Sunday.

Money for the revitalisation should mostly be drawn from the state budget and the European Union could contribute with the amount of around Kc7bn, Miko said.

Around 45,000 kilometres of rivers and other waterways whose channels changed in the past owing to inadequate human interference need to be revitalised, according to Environment Ministry's data.

Floodplains should be again created around river channels that will hold back water better and reduce the flood wave.

Miko said unwillingness of river owners and river management organisations to cooperate is often a bigger problem than lack of money.

The ministry has had a programme for waterways renewal since 1992 and has spent around Kc3bn since then, he said.

This year's floods hit above all central and northern Moravia and northern and southern Bohemia in late June and early July. A total of 5 percent of people and 7.5 percent of tangible assets are threatened by floods in the Czech republic.

ČTK, Prague Daily Monitor, 13. 7. 2009, News