Central drought commission to meet over severe dry conditions

The Central Drought Commission will meet Monday to discuss the country’s severe drought. It is the commission’s first meeting this year and will focus on the current hydrological situation and conditions in individual regions, where regional drought commissions are also being convened.

According to the InterSucho drought monitoring portal, the current period of soil moisture shortages is the longest on record. About 30 percent of Czechia has been experiencing a lack of soil moisture since the beginning of the year.

The renewed National Drought Coalition, headed by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, also met last week. It called for a map identifying 500 to 1,000 areas where water is disappearing fastest. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has since identified about 1,000 cadastral areas most at risk of drought.