Water is currently flowing into the inland delta of the Danube due to a summer simulated flood. We reached the highest flow in the last 19 years—120 m³/sec. Such a flow was requested as part of the petition for the preservation of the inland delta of the Danube in 2020, and since then, we have raised the demand at every meeting with water management officials and the Ministry of the Environment of Slovakia, which oversees these matters.
Along with experts from the VÚVH (water research institute in Slovakia) and the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic, we have requested more water for this precious area. Higher flow rates have been promised to this region several times, but only now is it becoming a reality.
It took time for all involved parties (paradoxically, all agencies under the Ministry of the Environment) to agree to this action. We are pleased that during the current minister’s tenure, it has finally happened.
The high flow rate and the water dynamics will be used to flush out sediments from the upper part of the area. Later—after three days, when the flow decreases—the weirs in the river branches will be closed off, and the floodplain forest area will be inundated.
The inland delta of the Danube is an area that has been most affected by the construction of the Gabčíkovo Dam, and its ecosystems suffer from insufficient water resources. We believe that flows of this magnitude should not only be experimental but should also be anchored in the operating rules of the Gabčíkovo Dam and released into the area annually.
This is a natural area with immense biodiversity and water retention capacity, designed by nature itself, and during this time of climate crisis, we need it to be functional, healthy, and overflowing with life.