Slovakia will implement an emergency strategy to avert flooding in its capital city.
Slovak officials are planning to intentionally inundate certain areas in the Zahorie region, which shares borders with Austria and the Czech Republic, to prevent potential destruction from flooding. Minister of Environment Tomas Taraba spoke about this to the news agency TASR, mentioning that they're working alongside the fire department to locate suitable spots. Their goal is to redirect the floodwaters of the March River, which divides Slovakia and Austria, before it reaches Bratislava and the Danube.
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, sits at the junction of the Danube and March rivers, forming a three-country junction with Hungary and Austria. Taraba anticipates a once-in-a-century flooding of the March, as he shared. In addition to the March region, the SHMU weather service has issued alerts for flooding in northern-western Slovakia, bordering the Czech Republic. Firefighters have been on duty since Thursday evening due to trees falling on vehicles and roads in these areas, as well as in Bratislava.
The outskirts of Bratislava experienced flooding in the summer of 2013. Luckily, the city's historic center was safeguarded by flood barriers.
The intentional flooding in the Zahorie region is aimed at diverting the March River's floodwaters, thereby protecting Bratislava from potential destruction. Despite the past success in safeguarding the city's historic center during the 2013 floods, severe flooding in the outskirts of Bratislava remains a concern.
