PRAGUE, Jan 3 (CTK) - No catastrophic floods similar to that which hit 15 percent of the Czech Republic last August are threatening, Premier and Social Democrat (CSSD) chairman Vladimir Spidla said at a press conference today.
He said he was aware of the tension which had recently been growing in the country in connection with the raising levels of Czech rivers, especially in the south and northwest of Bohemia. "However, the situation is being coped with and is under control," Spidla said.
Although less than six months have passed since the devastating floods in the summer the technical level of the system of protection against floods is already the same as it was in the summer, Spidla said. Plans of new anti-flood protection measures and proposals for new dams are being drafted. The state can use on them also 3.7 billion crowns from the European Solidarity fund, Spidla said.
He added, however, that no measures were capable of ensuring one hundred percent protection of property and the government would therefore change the conditions for territorial planning.
Spidla's cabinet will discuss the strategy of the development of towns hit by the floods in August at its meeting on Wednesday.
Several months ago Spidla said that the country would probably face new floods in the spring when snows start melting. He based his statement on the forecasts of water managers who pointed to the filling of river basins with water.
The forecasts have came true already in the winter due to unstable weather with alternating rain and snow melting.
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