Ombudsman: Poor water legislation made Bečva pollution disaster worse

The Czech ombudsman, Stanislav Křeček, says the country’s Water Act is inadequate when it comes to reporting and rectifying environmental disasters. He made the comment in connection with the severe pollution of a long stretch of the Bečva River in Moravia last September. No arrests have been made over the illegal dumping of waste which caused great damage to a 40-kilometre stretch of the waterway.

Mr. Křeček said ambiguities in the law led to some authorities not receiving information on the disaster on time. He said he welcomed a draft amendment to the legislation under which the fire service should be informed first in such cases.