The Environmental Agency (Keskkonnaagentuur ) plans to invest €10 million over the next five years in order to better combat serious flooding in Estonia.
This will include acquiring more accurate equipment such as weather radar, and to update hydrological models, and will largely funded by the European Regional Development Fund,
Environmental Agency director Taimar Ala said climate change factors such as rising average temperatures, a rise in the sea-level and more intense rainfall are key factors contributing to heightened flood risks.
Summer 2024’s heavy rains and floods in Estonia, along with ongoing severe weather events across Europe, highlight the need for better flood prediction and preparedness, the agency highlighted.
Ala said: “We have also experienced torrential downpours this summer, even here, and the resultant floods.
“If we set this alongside what has been happening in Europe each summer for years now, there are certainly lessons to be learned. There are quite a few areas in Estonia which are clearly prone to flooding,” Ala added.
“We are talking among other things about improving our monitoring network, which will mean installing additional measuring devices including weather radars, crucial components of the weather forecasting system. These could give people a minimum of two or three hours’ notice ahead of an event occurring,” Ala went on.
The upgraded hydrological models will enable more precise flood forecasts based on current conditions.
Ala added. “And not only looking at radar images, but the desire is also to update hydrological models, which will allow us to calculate mathematically and based on the current conditions where flooding might occur, to what extent, and how long it might last.”
One location hit by flooding last summer was the southwestern town of Pärnu; in January 2005 the town was badly hit by flooding as Cyclone Gudrun struck the Baltic sea. One person lost their life in Pärnu, along with several more in other countries in the region.
Kaido Koppel, city of Pärnu planning director, said he supports the efforts, and stressed the importance of flood prevention.
He also noted past attempts to develop flood warning systems that were not implemented.
“I can acknowledge that they have finally started addressing this issue. Why do I say ‘finally’? Well, because after the previous flood, which came in 2005, the city government, together with the European Space Agency, conducted a project which led to prototypes. These prototypes could have provided information about whether or not a flood was imminent. As a prototype, installing buoys was desired, and we even sent this to the government as this is not just an issue for Pärnu city. However, at that time, the government didn’t take any action,” Koppel continued.
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