EU funds for flood safety in the Savinja river basin
Ljubljana, 26 April 2012 – Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, as the Managing Authority for the EU structural fund and the Cohesion Fund, issued a decision granting EU funds for the first phase of the project of flood safety in the Savinja river basin (local measures). The project, which is worth 45.5 million Euros, will improve living conditions in the area of the Savinja river basin as it will significantly reduce flood risk. The project is part of the Operational Programme of Environmental and Transport Infrastructure Development for the period 2007–2013. It is co-financed by the Cohesion Fund in the amount of 38.2 million Euros.
The project of flood safety in the Savinja river basin, which is divided into two phases, includes numerous anti-flood measures in the entire area of the Savinja river. The first phase – the subject of the approved project – involves the realisation of local measures in the area of Luče, Celje and Laško. The second phase focuses mainly on the overall anti-flood measures by constructing reservoirs in the Lower Savinja valley.
The measures in the framework of the first phase, which is foreseen to be concluded by August 2015, provides protection of the most endangered urban areas, without worsening the pourability downstream, and retention of the flood waters by constructing dry reservoirs, which improve the pourablity downstream. The basic objective of these measures is to reduce the extent of surfaces, which are at risk of being affected by the floods, and to increase the number of people who will benefit from the measures of preventing harmful effects of water.
The results of the project will be:
- Regulation of 7.7 kilometres of river bed
- Construction of 17 kilometres of high-water earthworks
- 10.8 kilometres of sewerage and discharges
- 34 access ramps
- 5 dry reservoirs
- 3 bridge constructions (8 existing bridge constructions will be renovated)
- 5.5 kilometres of earthworks elevated and renovated
The project will improve the living conditions as it will significantly reduce flood risk and promote faster development of the region as the preventive measures are in line with the objective of sustainable environment and spatial development. To ensure overall flood safety in the Savinja river basin the measures of flood safety of the second phase will have to be realised. The second phase foresees the construction of all dry reservoirs in the Lower Savinja valley.
Funds of the Operational Programme of Environmental and Transport Infrastructure Development, which is worth 1.57 billion Euros, are primarily intended for the modernisation or new infrastructural constructions in the area of environment and transport, and, to a lesser extent, also for sustainable energy projects.
