The water level of the Danube River rose to 703 centimetres in Bratislava on the morning of July 19.
It will continue rising to about 770 centimetres in the afternoon hours, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) said, adding that it will start decreasing again at night.
At the lower river sections near Komárno and Štúrovo, the water level is expected to culminate on July 20, as reported by the TASR newswire.
The rising levels are due in part to the flood that hit Germany and Austria in the past few days. Moreover, there were several intensive storms in Slovakia on Sunday, July 18.
Apart from the Danube, the water levels of the Morava River also increased due to intensive rain. It reached 528 centimetres in the Devínska Nová Ves borough on Monday morning, TASR reported.
Situation being monitored
The higher water levels pose no serious risks for the capital, said its spokesperson Katarína Rajčanová on Sunday.
“But we keep monitoring the situation together with the Slovak Water Management Company and the Fire and Rescue Corps that are responsible for placing the flood barriers if necessary,” she added, as quoted by TASR.
The water flooded some areas around the boroughs of Devínska Nová Ves, Devín, Petržalka, Rusovce and Čunovo. The underpass near the University of Economics in Bratislava was also flooded on Monday morning.
Mosquitoes used to hatch in some of these areas, so the city will use BTI larvicide to minimise a potential mosquito calamity, Rajčanová said.
The Slovak Water Management Company said on Sunday evening that they were monitoring the situation on the Danube and added that the water level will stabilise throughout Tuesday, as reported by TASR.