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Flood protection for the Black Elster: More space for safety!
The flood protection measures on the Black Elster in Oberspreewald-Lausitz aim to increase safety and flood areas.
Flood protection for the Black Elster: More space for safety!
In the heart of Brandenburg, intensive work is currently being done to increase flood safety. The Black Elster, a highly straightened river, comes into particular focus. The Ministry of the Environment has set itself the goal of giving the river more space to better cope with future flood events. Minister Hanka Mittelstädt (SPD) emphasizes the need for expanded flood areas in order to protect neighboring towns from flooding World reported.
Various measures are currently planned to improve flood protection on the Black Elster and its tributaries. These include projects of the National Flood Protection Program (NHWSP) and local planning to repair damage after the floods of 2010, 2011 and 2013. An important part of the new strategies is the waiver of long planning procedures in order to quickly advance necessary work, such as Brandenburg.de clarified.
Preventive steps for more security
One of the key points is the planned construction of a dike south of Bad Liebenwerda, which will enable the river to divert in a controlled manner in certain areas. These controlled floods are essential to regulate the flow, especially since iron hydroxide sludge from brown coal mining hinders the water flow of the Black Elster, according to reporting by RBB24.
The investments in flood protection give cause for hope: around 26 million euros flowed into these measures in 2024, and similar amounts are planned for 2025. The aim is not only to improve the dikes along the Black Elster, but also to make necessary decisions about relocating dikes, which has become unavoidable in the past after severe flood events.
Permanent challenges
But it's not just the structural measures that pose a challenge. The care and maintenance of the existing flood protection systems costs around nine million euros annually, with part of these funds being used to combat the damage caused by muskrats and nutria. These rodents repeatedly cause damage to the dikes and embankments, which must be urgently repaired in order to ensure the stability of the protective systems.
Together with the goal of fundamentally improving flood safety along the Black Elster, Brandenburg is clearly on the right track to being able to better cope with future events. The concrete steps and continuous investments give rise to optimism that the protective measures will have a lasting effect and that residents can live in safety.