Czech Republic to spend $300m on drought fighting

The Czech Republic will spend more than eight billion Czech crowns (326.5 million U.S. dollars) from European subsidies on fighting drought and on the retention of water in the landscape in the next five years, a ministry spokeswoman said Monday.

Money from the Environment Operational Program will be spent on projects that will help improve the soaking of rain water and the flow in river beds, streams and adjacent floodplains, and improve the natural overflow of water, Petra Roubickova, spokeswoman for Czech Environment Ministry.

Some measures will begin from this Friday.

From Friday, municipalities and businesses will be able to apply for more than one billion crowns (about 40.8 million U.S. dollars), and the money will go to measures that would take a better use of rainwater instead of draining it through the sewerage system, mainly in towns and villages.

The recently approved government document on fighting against drought also plans to restore vanished ponds and timber floating reservoirs. These dams, made of wood filled with stone and clay, have almost disappeared from the landscape, said Roubickova.

European money has been directed to the restoration of the landscape and its water regime for eight years. According to the data of Ministry of Environment, the old Environment Operational Programme revitalized more than 142 km of water courses by the end of 2014 and the volume of water reservoirs or polders has increased by 20.6 million cubic meters.

Prolonged drought and heat weather causes complications across the Czech Republic and there is a high risk of fires throughout the country. (1 U.S. dollar = 24.5 Czech crowns)