Removing the damage caused by the Monday's devastating flood wave in Vratna Dolina (Žilina region) will take the Slovak Water Management Company (SVP) almost three months with the cost estimated at €2 million, Environment Ministry State Secretary Vojtech Ferencz said at a press conference held in Terchova on Thursday.
SVP, which operates under the Environment Ministry, has already started to move heavy equipment into the region. “We're still waiting for some roads to become passable in order to get as close to Vratna as possible. You might already see the SVP equipment within the perimeter. We’re facing an uneasy task: to clean up the stream bed of the Varinka River that flows through the village over a stretch of some five kilometres. That will form the bulk of the work,” said Ferencz. SVP general director Marian Supek emphasised that the cleaning of riverbed directly within the village is designed to protect its inhabitants from further flooding. “There's a lot of work to be done. The five-kilometre stretch has been completely destroyed and our primary task will be to stabilise the banks in order to prevent further mudslides.” added Supek.
