Due to the rising Vltava, Prague is closing the embankments and Čertovka and clearing the markets
River levels are rising in many regions. After heavy rains, the preservation remained until Saturday noon. According to the warning of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the Vltava in Prague will also reach flood levels. “The Vltava in Prague’s Chuchle can also ascend in the first stage,” meteorologists said.
The municipality is therefore preparing preventive measures. “Due to the warning of flood vigilance, Prague is taking preventive anti-flood measures. Today, a stop to close the Prague embankments and close the gates at Čertovka. The city is also in contact with the organizers of the weekend Midsummer celebrations Navalis, “said Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates). “The watercourses carry a number of navigable things and because of this, for example, navigation through the Modřany lock chamber, which is clogged, is stopped. We are in contact with both the Vltava River Basin and the city districts affected by this situation. We will continue to closely monitor the level and flow of the river. “
“The gates at Čertovka will be closed after noon today, and they will arrive tonight to clear and secure the floodplains. Since then, the floodplains are not open to the public. Residents must remove the vehicles from the floodplain at least today at 6 pm, otherwise they will be towed to protect them. After that, the Prague embankments will also be closed to pedestrians. The vacated and closed area will be monitored by peace patrols of the city and state police. The deadline is valid until further notice, “said Petr Hlubuček, Deputy Mayor for the Environment, Infrastructure, Technical Equipment and Safety (TOP 09 and STAN).
As a precaution, the metropolis informed about the possible development of the tenant and the markets on the embankments a few days in advance. “I understand that no one is comfortable with further restrictions on free movement around the city, especially after all the covid’s restrictions. However, it is better to go the prevention route and be prepared if the meteorological situation was so severe that it would occur until the flood. We will inform about the situation about Prague embankments on social networks and websites of the capital and embankments, “said Jan Chabr (TOP 09 and STAN), a councilor for the management of property and property shares, about the closure of Prague embankments.
Where possible, the flow of water through Prague will be partially controlled by regulation on water reservoirs. According to the Vltava River Basin, the Orlík waterworks has sufficient space to be filled. Prague should be close to a flow of 500 m3 per second, which corresponds to the first stage of flood activity. The planned flow means stopping the cruise in the part of the Vltava near Holešovice, where the limit for closing the cruise is a flow of 450 m3 per second. In other parts of the city, the limits for closing the cruise are higher – in the center 600 m3/ s and Jirásek Bridge 800 m3/with.
Berounka and Sázava should culminate in Prague on Saturday morning, which is why the Vltava River Basin will close Čertovka as a precaution today. With the exception of anti-flood exercises and regular functional tests, it has not been closed since 2013.
The first degree of flood activity was issued in Prague. Restrictions – flood gates on Čertovka are closing, unfortunately we are closing the Prague Náplavky in Prague 1, 2 from today at 6 pm. Popular farmers’ markets are not taking place, as well as they will not be able to walk there today or tomorrow. 🙁 pic.twitter.com/Y3FuVIVuPQ
– Jan Chabr (@ChabrJan) May 14, 2021
Meteorologists originally assumed that the precipitation would move to Moravia today, but this did not happen. Precipitation over Berounkou is stopping and this trend should continue, but we are still raining on Sázava, so there is a preventive increase in runoff from the Švihov (Želivka) Reservoirs.
They also took similar measures in Pilsen, where the level of rivers rose due to several days of persistent rain and flooded meadows, footpaths and cycle paths in many places. The city therefore asks residents not to enter these localities for their own safety. The second flood stage was declared at Úslava and the first flood stage at Radbuza.
Closed footbridges in Pilsen:
“Úslava spilled in Koterov, Božkov, Lobzy and around the church of St. Jiří na Doubravce, Hradiště and its surroundings are also a problematic place, and the cycle path to Starý Plzenec is also flooded. The river Radbuza flooded the embankment, it is necessary to be careful in Doudlevce in the direction of the weir, “introduced Dagmar Svobodová Kaiferová, head of the environmental department of the Pilsen municipality.
Due to the large water, there is a closed footbridge in Koterov, which serves as a driveway on the new path to Starý Plzenec, as well as a footbridge under Kolešovka between Koterov and Božkov. The underpass on the path for pedestrians and cyclists under the bridge over Úslava in Lobzy is also impassable.
“The cleaning of the now flooded embankment will take place as part of regular maintenance, which includes once a month cleaning of the entire embankment and its elements with water. A few days ago, the lawns by the river were revitalized, so our gardeners are sorry that the water will take away this work for them, ”equip Radka Žáková, spokeswoman for the Public Property Administration of the City of Pilsen.
According to the ČTK agency, problems can be expected elsewhere as well. River levels in southwestern Bohemia and part of the Central Bohemian Region can be alerted until Saturday noon after heavy rains. The river Úslava in Prádle in the southern Pilsen region may rise for a short time to the third, ie the highest degree of flood activity.
In Central Bohemia, the warning of meteorologists concerns the lower reaches of the Berounka. However, its level should culminate in the first stage of flood activity, when water is not yet flowing from the banks.
The warning against rising river levels due to heavy rain also applies to the entire South Bohemian Region and the eastern half of the Pilsen Region. There, too, the levels of flows should culminate in the first, occasionally the second degree. The short-term attainment of the third degree of meteorological flood activity is expected only at Úslava in the village of Prádlo in the southern part of Plzeň.
Meteorologists warn against people not entering the bed of flooded rivers and trying to float them. The risk of reduced tree stability in waterlogged soil also poses a risk.
Storms hit the Czechia on Wednesday evening. It also rained heavily on Thursdays and at night, when river levels rose mainly in Silesia and southwestern Bohemia.
Today, according to the forecast, the rain in the Czech Republic should decrease, but on Saturday, meteorological weather is expected to show rain and occasional thunderstorms again. Especially in the second half of the night on Sunday, in some places in Moravia and Silesia, up to about 25 liters of water per square meter can attack. Therefore, meteorologists do not rule out that the river will rise again to some of the lower levels of flood activity.