The construction of flood protection measures in Krnov is set to accelerate.

krnov

Krnov - The construction of flood protection measures in Krnov in the Bruntál region will be expedited. This was stated to journalists by Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL), Krnov mayor Tomáš Hradil (Krnovští patrioti), and Jiří Tkáč, the general director of the state enterprise Povodí Odry, who signed a memorandum today concerning the construction of these measures. The construction will cost several billion crowns.

"We agreed to accelerate the preparation of flood protection measures in Krnov, which we see as a clearly positive step. We will save about four years compared to the original schedule and we will also expand the flood protection measures," said Hradil. The memorandum also includes a section addressing the Opavice River, which, according to him, has not been addressed so far.

"Please do not expect us to jump through the ceiling right now. The reason is that our city has been severely damaged by floods twice in 27 years. We will jump through the ceiling only when the flood protection measures are actually here," said the mayor. He added that he views the memorandum as a good step.

The minister stated that this year the preparation of project documentation will be initiated, which concerns both the flood protection measures that have already been worked on and related accompanying constructions on the banks of the Opava River. "According to the memorandum, we anticipate a 24-month timeframe for this," said Výborný.

Once the building permit is issued, a tender should take place within six months, and construction is expected to begin. "I would like to point out that, given the scale of the project, the implementation will obviously take several years. It will certainly be spread out over time, considering the expected investment amount, which will be in the range of several billion crowns," said the minister.

Tkáč mentioned that the measures will include the reconstruction of bridges, which is essential to avoid creating obstacles in the flow. "The weir near the cinema Mír will be renewed to meet requirements, the riverbed will be reshaped using silt to accommodate a hundred-year flood. There will be accompanying elements, such as various steps and thresholds that will stabilize the longitudinal slope so that the river does not have a tendency to propagate sideways," stated the director.

Výborný stated that Krnov will add its related measures to create an area that is friendly for local residents. "The result will not only be protection against floods but also recreational zones and similar matters," said the minister.

According to Hradil, promising specific construction timelines is unrealistic given its scale. "It is important for us that there are no unnecessary delays, that the project is designed as soon as possible so that once the building permit is issued, the construction can be tendered immediately. We believe that flood protection measures within Krnov, which are very important to us, are comparably important as the construction of the waterworks in Nové Heřminovy, so there should not be significant delays behind the construction of the waterworks itself," said the mayor.

Výborný mentioned that the preparation for the dam construction is progressing according to plan. "We aim to complete the property settlement process during this spring. I firmly hope that, like with the municipality of Nové Heřminovy, we will also reach an agreement with private owners," said the minister. If an agreement cannot be reached, the state would resort to expropriation.

"However, in parallel with this, we can already work on the building permit to meet the schedule, meaning we want to select a contractor in 2026 and start construction no later than in 2027," said the minister. According to him, the Road and Motorway Directorate is also preparing the realignment of road I/45, which is a necessary part of the construction. "The project should be completed in 2032 and handed over for use in 2033," said Výborný.

According to Ivo Dokoupil from the Hnutí Duha Jeseníky, however, the memorandum comes with a ten-year delay. He believes that the protection of Krnov should have included, among other things, measures that were supposed to be completed by 2016. "It would have been much more effective if at least part of the competences in building flood protection measures had been transferred from Povodí Odry and the state to the municipalities. Municipalities have a greater motivation to address the situation, know the details of their area and its residents better, and can directly commission flood protection studies to specialized firms. Such an approach would allow for faster and more efficient protection against smaller floods," stated Dokoupil.

The 22,000-strong Krnov was among the places most affected by the September floods in the Moravian-Silesian region. Water flooded approximately 80 percent of the town.