Prague to spend 8 billion crowns in EU subsidies on fighting drought

More than eight billion crowns from European subsidies is to be spent on fighting drought and on the retention of water in the landscape in the course of the next five years, Petra Roubíčkova, spokeswoman for the Czech Environment Ministry told the ctk news agency. The money from the Environment Operational Programme will be invested in projects increasing the flow in river beds and the renovation of damaged or vanished areas and landscape elements in which water would naturally accumulate such as riverheads, pools and swamps. While the Czech Republic has invested a lot of money into flood prevention in recent years it is poorly prepared for long periods of drought.