Government proposing land exchange and buy-outs in flood-risk areas of Jeseník
As the inhabitants of Jeseník, one of the towns hardest hit by the September floods, scramble to get their homes in order ahead of the winter, many are mulling their future and considering moving to safer locations. In an effort to prevent depopulation and open the way to more effective flood mitigation measures, the agriculture minister has said the state will offer people from the flood zones in the Jeseníky region an exchange of land.
Floods are becoming an increasingly common phenomenon in Central Europe and people living in high-risk flood zones have repeatedly experienced flooding in the last ten or twenty years. The experience of starting over every time is physically and financially exhausting. People in these areas now watch the skies with concern and many say they simply haven’t got the strength to carry on in this way. Their houses are unsellable and getting insurance is a problem, but even in the face of further losses, many people are now seriously considering starting anew elsewhere. Moreover, forty houses in and around Jeseník in the floodplain of Bela have been slated for demolition.
In view of the possible repercussions of a mass exodus on the region, the government has stepped in to offer more than reconstruction aid. On a visit to the flood-devastated town, Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný said the state would offer people from the flood zones an exchange of land so as to reduce the risk that locals will consider moving to other parts of the country, which would be yet another blow to the mountain region.
“We really cannot continue to rebuild houses in the worst affected areas after this flood. The ministry is therefore mapping suitable state land in Jeseník and the surrounding area that is not in the flood zone with the State Land Office. In cooperation with the Jeseník Town Hall, which also owns some of the land, the authorities will offer plots to people living in high-risk areas. There may be a land swap or a buyout. We want to encourage people to build their housing here in Jeseník. We don't want to have minus 2,000 inhabitants here in a year’s time. That would be a big loss for the entire region, not just for the town of Jeseník."
Another reason why the government aims to get as many people out of the high-risk areas as possible is so that the authorities can work with the water flow in order to have more control over future floods.
In the coming days, experts will examine the entire course of the Bělá River and its tributaries and decide where it will be possible to return the river to its original channel and where it no longer makes sense to do so. The agriculture minister argues that in places where the Bělá River significantly overflowed from the established riverbed during the floods, it should be left there, so that the situation would not be repeated in the event of further floods.
The mayor of Jesenik, Zdeňka Blišt'anová agrees with this reasoning, saying that it is not worth returning the Bělá River to its original riverbed in some parts of Jeseník, since that would cost tens of millions of crowns spent unnecessarily. "We know that it doesn't work and that every time there is more water, the Bělá River just spills over," Blišt'anová said. The authorities will now negotiate with the owners of the respective properties about possible buy-outs or exchange of land. If the plans work out, the riverbed could be widened and the risk of future floods in the area would be reduced.
