Situation along Danube stabilises as water level decreases

After the flood wave struck the south of Slovakia over the weekend, the situation has gradually begun to stabilise. The levels of the Danube and Váh rivers are decreasing, even though rescuers are still dealing with leakage in the protective barricades in certain areas. The situation is also stabilising along other sections of the Danube, including in Bratislava, even though the water level remains high. Hydro-meteorologists have meanwhile announced that the water level might rise again this week due to heavy rainfall in Germany, the TASR newswire wrote on June 10.

After the flood wave struck the south of Slovakia over the weekend, the situation has gradually begun to stabilise. The levels of the Danube and Váh rivers are decreasing, even though rescuers are still dealing with leakage in the protective barricades in certain areas. The situation is also stabilising along other sections of the Danube, including in Bratislava, even though the water level remains high. Hydro-meteorologists have meanwhile announced that the water level might rise again this week due to heavy rainfall in Germany, the TASR newswire wrote on June 10.

The rise of the Danube did not cause any major damage in the towns of Komárno and Štúrovo, where it crested during the weekend. While in Komárno it rose to 889 centimetres (about 350 inches), in Štúrovo it rose to 812 centimetres (about 320 inches). Both towns report a decrease in the water level. The level of the Váh River near Kolárovo is also gradually decreasing. Over the weekend it rose to 739 centimetres (about 291 inches), the SITA newswire wrote.

About 400 volunteers offered assistance in Komárno during the weekend by filling sandbags, 10,000 of which were used to strengthen the dam between Komárno and Kameničná.

Despite the improving situation, Nitra Region is still under a state of emergency, which was declared on June 7, SITA reported.

The situation in Bratislava is also improving. The Danube has already fallen by more than three metres (about 118.5 inches), the Sme daily wrote on June 10. The Petržalka city borough has started to deal with the results of the flooding, and has removed flood barricades at several places. Yet, some areas of the borough are still flooded, TASR wrote on June 10.

The situation in Devín is gradually improving as the water level is decreasing. About 150 volunteers helped to dry and clean the area over the weekend. Yet, inhabitants are still not allowed to drink water, as it contains chrome, Sme wrote.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák said that the anti-flood measures implemented along the Slovak sections of the Danube will also be implemented on other rivers in Slovakia, like the Hron, Váh, Poprad, Hornád and Ondava rivers. The minister said on the political talk show O 5 Minúť 12, broadcast by the public service Slovak Television (STV), that he would like to repair the dams near Komárno as well. He also promised that the government will allocate money to fight another problem brought by the flood: an increased number of mosquitoes.

Source: SITA, TASR, Sme, STV

Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports

The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.

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