“Last year, we were able to carry out tenders for water use concessions, which the Environment Ministry had failed to properly manage over the past decade,” stressed Minister Irena Majcen. “During this time, we also organized a number of records in the area of water monitoring,” added Majcen, who said that the ministry wished to conclude work on the Krka River shortly.

A large portion of the so-called cohesion projects will be carried out in the following year, according to Majcen, because the ministry is already accepting tenders for flood management projects on the Drava and the Savinja. The total value of these investment projects will be around 150 million euros, part of which will be financed from cohesion funds. This year, the government will also set aside 47.5 million euros for the completion of the reservoir at the Brežice Hydroelectric Plant.

Dynamic planning remains the preferred option for the regular maintenance of streams. The government has approved an additional five million euros for this area, bringing the total to 17 million euros. These funds are intended for public contractors, whose role is to oversee, observe, and clean the streams well as to mow along the riverbanks. According to the minister, these funds will be sufficient for the duties performed by public works operations in the field of stream flow management, even though the funds are smaller than last year. In the case of new flooding, the ministry plans to set aside additional funds.

Luka Lukič, MMC; Translated by Jaka Bartolj