PROJEKT: Restoration and management of Danube floodplain habitats
simulovaná záplava ramennej sústavy Dunaja

In the long term requested volume.

On Saturday 2.3. the flow rates through the Dobrohošť inlet facility begun to raise. Here the water flows into the left branch system of the Danube, the so-called inland delta with the aim of connecting this rare system of river branches and wetlands to the Danube water. 

It is an area that, since the construction of the Gabčíkovo hydroelectric power plant, has been connected to the Danube water only through an artificially created irrigation facility, and simulated floods are the only way to significantly subsidize it with this water.

The current spring simulated flood is the ninth flood of the branch system in a row, which, like all so far, is the result of many negotiations between conservationists, water managers and energy companies. Since Saturday, the flow has gradually increased and currently accumulates at a height of 120 m3/second, which will flow into the territory during the next 15 days. During these 15 days, wetlands will fill with water, floodplain forests will be flooded, and this increased flow will help flush sediments from river branches, exposing the gravel bed and improving water infiltration into the subsoil.

This year we are starting the flood earlier than in the last 4 years, because the beginning of spring is significantly shifted – the vegetation season is shifted, as well as the breeding season of amphibians, so that we fill the wetlands also for species that breed earlier.

In 2020, we initiated a petition, thanks to which we managed to restore these simulated floods again, because they did not take place for several years, even though they were established as a compensatory measure for this rare ecosystem already during the construction of Gabčíkovo power plant. Flooding happens in close cooperation between us, State Nature Conservancy and Water Research Institute. For the smooth implementation we are grateful to Water management construction, state enterprise and Slovak Water Management Enterprise.

We are happy about this flood, it is the only way we can keep floodplain ecosystems alive in this technically affected area. It is a very important area in terms of biodiversity, carbon absorption and cooling of the area. And at a time of climate crisis and biodiversity crisis, it is one of the important things we can do for our nature.

You can see the progress of the flooding here link