Record heat, extreme drought and damage to agriculture. Slovakia has just experienced a summer that made it clear the country will have to rethink how it manages its water resources.
The government is responding by setting up a National Commission for Water and Drought. The body will look for solutions ranging from irrigation systems to water reservoirs. The opposition, however, says the government should already be putting concrete measures on the table.
The summer brought extreme conditions for farmers. As early as June, meteorologists were recording drought conditions across about 37 percent of Slovakia.
“I’ve been working in agriculture for 41 years, and I’ve never experienced temperatures like those we had in the Liptov region this year. We reached 38 degrees Celsius, at times approaching 40, and I’ve certainly never experienced such prolonged heat,” said Miroslav Štefček, chairman of the Ludrová Agricultural Cooperative.
The government wants to tackle water shortages through the new commission, which brings together ministries, local authorities and experts. It announced the commission last week in Nitra and has now approved its statute.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) will chair the national commission. Its deputy chairmen will be Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer-SD) and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (nominated by SNS). The commission is to meet at least four times a year.
“The commission will also have an expert panel made up of representatives from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Office, the Slovak Water Management Enterprise, the National Forest Centre and universities. These are the people with the expertise and data needed to analyze the situation, prepare different scenarios and propose measures,” Takáč explained.
One of the measures the government is considering to address water shortages is reviving the Tichý Potok water reservoir project. The prime minister and agriculture minister want to visit the site in person. Local residents, however, are opposed to the project.
“Building a dam on the Tichý Potok would be an extremely dangerous undertaking,” said Michal Kravčík, chairman of the People and Water civic association.
“Either we want to secure enough water for our citizens, or we choose to side with the handful of households and people living in the area,” Takáč said.
The opposition KDH party is calling on the government to revise the statute and limit the prime minister’s power to unilaterally alter the commission’s conclusions. According to MP Veronika Remišová (Slovakia Movement, For the People, KÚ), the country does not need such a commission.
“Farmers need effective support to tackle the drought. Minister Takáč, I expect you to issue calls for funding to repair irrigation systems by the end of September,” Remišová said.
“We are launching another four calls focused on water-retention measures, including land-reclamation and irrigation projects across the sector. And, of course, we will do everything we can to increase the funding available,” Takáč added.
The Union of Towns and Cities of Slovakia has pointed out that it is not represented on the commission and that the Association of Water Supply Companies is also absent.
Source: STVR
