Government adopts changes to Natural Disaster Recovery Act to expedite relief, remedial actions
The ongoing floods in Slovenia is the worst natural disaster the country has experienced since its independence in 1991, said Prime Minister Robert Golob at a press conference August 4, 2023. This means that the floods are worse than those that occured in 1998 and 2004, which caused widespread destruction.
The country recorded more than 200 millimetres of rain within 12 hours from August 3-4, 2023, according to meteorologist Brane Gregorcic from Slovenia’s environmental agency ARSO. “The weather station at the Brnik Airport has never before recorded such a quantity of rain within 12 hours,” he noted. This is more than these areas would normally see during the whole of August.
Slovenia’s Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec, Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar, Commander of the Civil Protection of the Republic of Slovenia Srečko Šestan and hydrologist of the Slovenian Environment Agency Janez Polajnar too were present during the briefing.
The extreme floods caused by torrential rains in Slovenia had affected two-thirds of the country, according to reports. Several places have been cut off from the rest of the country due to the gushing floodwaters, forcing people to evacuate. Major roads and rail lines have also closed.
The torrential rains caused multiple rivers to break their banks, including the Savinja River in Celje. Celje, with a population of almost 40,000, is located in the lower Savinja Valley and is among the worst-affected regions. As many as 4,000 people had to evacuate their homes in the region.
Such extreme weather conditions are partly fueled by climate change, according to experts.
The damage caused by the worst disaster in the country’s history is estimated to amount to around €500 million. At least six people have been killed, according to the government and media reports.
A 2008 study dismissed theories that the damage was caused by climate change, since torrential floods strike certain Slovene regions every three years on average and that larger floods occur at least once a decade.
“Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia issues more than one thousand permits for interventions in areas that affect the water regime, and through decrees the government allows construction in riparian zones, which is supposedly forbidden by the Law on Water,” the study said.
If we do not take measures with more suitable policies for spatial planning, we will no longer have the possibility in future to reduce the negative consequences of floods, the authors of the study warned.
European countries including Slovenia would potentially have to spend a significant share of their current gross domestic product to abate the future impacts from flooding in view of socio-economic and climate changes, a study of the socio-economic impacts of river floods in the European Union in view of climate and socio-economic changes stated.
While the rescuers are reported to be trying to reach flooded areas and clean up the damage, the country has triggered the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, announced the Prime Minister on August 6, 2023. The government has sought help from the neighbouring countries in the wake of the devastating floods.
Extreme precipitation events have become more frequent with associated floods and landslides, according to the International Energy Agency. The recent torrential rains and heavy floods have ravaged southern Austria too, killing one person, media reports stated.
The once erratic weather patterns are the new normal in the WHO Europe region, Hans Kluge, regional director, WHO Europe, wrote in the microblogging platform X.
Through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Slovenia had asked for assistance in machinery for debris removal and for the provision of road transportability.
Devastation caused by colossal floods in Slovenia is heartbreaking, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission. “The EU is by the side of the Slovenian people. We will mobilise support as needed,” she posted on X.
The EU civil protection mechanism has been activated, confirmed Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid.
To ensure relief and remedial actions, the government amended the Natural Disaster Recovery Act on August 5, 2023. The amendments were presented to the media by Uros Brezan, the minister for natural resources and spatial planning.
The amendments introduce the option of allocating advanced funds to affected municipalities for the implementation of emergency remedial action, up to 20 per cent of the preliminary assessed damages.
This will expedite allocation of funds in the form of an advance payment by the government, even before the final damage assessment has been done and final recovery programme has been adopted.
The option of compensation for damage in agriculture has also been introduced in the amended act. This is expected to benefit the farmers, Brezan added.
The amendment included “retroactivity” and under this 20 per cent advance payment rule will apply to damage from natural disasters suffered since January 1, 2023, the minister noted.
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A view from a helicopter on the course of assistance in the rehabilitation of the embankment and damming of the Mura river near Dolnja Bistrica. Photo: @Slovenskavojska / X.png)
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