BUT experts address climate challenges, floods, and the future of Czech water

World Water Day draws attention each year to the growing problems with this element. How can we ensure that the Czech Republic can compete in a world where water is no longer a given? Experts from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at BUT, Daniel Marton and Aleš Dráb, draw attention to extreme fluctuations and stress the importance of smart water management. The 2024 floods tested the resilience of the Czech system, which stood up thanks to early prediction and effective measures. Yet the sector is plagued by a shortage of experts, which may threaten the country's ability to respond to climate challenges in the future.

Climate changes, water responds

World Water Day, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1993, is an annual reminder of the importance of protecting water resources on 22 March. It aims to raise awareness of the global water crisis and promote sustainable development. This year's theme is protecting glaciers and draws attention to their melting, which is accelerating due to climate change.Climate change is manifesting itself in a number of other symptoms, including rising sea levels and increasing air and ocean temperatures. Related to this are more frequent extreme events - heat waves, droughts and floods. This makes effective water management and conservation measures all the more important, in which the Faculty of Civil Engineering of BUT is also actively involved with the participation of students.

There are three institutes dealing with water. The Institute of Landscape Water Management (ILWM) focuses on water management in the landscape, effective water retention and natural water treatment methods. Institute of Water Structures (IWS) designs and researches hydrotechnical structures - dams, hydroelectric power plants, flood control measures, navigation facilities - and analyses water flow and reliability of structures using numerical models and laboratory research. And the Institute of Municipal Water Management (IMWM) addresses key areas of municipal water management such as water and wastewater treatment. Experts from these institutes work with students on national and international projects specifically responding to climate change.

Between droughts and floods

The hydrological balance of the Czech Republic, which analyses water gains and losses and changes in water supplies on our territory, is important for the Czech water sector. "From a hydrological point of view, it is said that we are the roof of Europe, because we depend on what comes to us in the form of rain or snow," says ILWM head Daniel Marton. The balance of precipitation in our territory was significantly negative from 2015 until the middle of 2020, when we had a significant episode of drought. "This precipitation deficit can very quickly turn to the opposite extreme, when extreme amounts of precipitation fall within a short period of time, which in turn trigger floods," he adds.

The importance of hydrological balance is also related to the international Danube Water Balance project in which Marton is involved. "There are two main objectives. The first is to create a single tool for analysing the hydrological balance of the entire Danube basin, and the second is to use the model to project the impacts of climate change. We are fortunate that one of the pilot areas in the project is the Morava River basin, to which the model is being applied."

The results will help organisations better understand the state of water resources and optimise their management. The EU-funded project brings together experts from 21 research institutions from all countries along the Danube basin. "The river knows no borders, which is why international cooperation is crucial, especially for projects that can influence the regime of streams during droughts and floods," Marton stresses.

Numerical models refine flood protection measures

Flood issues are dealt with at the BUT by the head of IWS Aleš Dráb. For example, he is working on maps of flood hazard, threat and risk, which are created on the basis of numerical modelling of water flow and show the extent of flooded areas at different values of flood flows. "Usually a base set of flood flows is determined - most commonly five-year, twenty-year, hundred-year and quinquennial flows. The design of appropriate flood control measures can then be linked to these documents," explains Dráb.

These maps play a key role in spatial planning - they divide areas into categories with corresponding building restrictions. "They help to ensure that new developments in floodplains do not adversely affect runoff patterns. Numerical models are most often used for this purpose," says Dráb, adding that the experts' outputs are required by, for example, European legislation or the Water Act.

Experts use inputs from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI), which can change more dynamically than before due to climate change and more frequent weather fluctuations. "This variability needs to be taken into account not only when designing hydrotechnical structures, but also in the case of other types of structures near watercourses," says Dráb. "For flood protection measures, a safety margin above the design flood level must always be taken into account. Similar recommendations apply, for example, to bridge structures on watercourses."

Modern technologies or artificial intelligence can deal with these hydrological uncertainties, which has been used at BUT in this context for several decades - for example, in the form of methods called fuzzy logic and neural networks, which allow working with uncertainty in data, learning from historical data and refining predictions. "At BUT, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence methods in water management and hydrology was Professor Miloš Starý," Marton points out. "He introduced them in the 1990s when he returned from an internship in Denmark, where he first saw the use of artificial intelligence in a model of sewage network management."Accordingly, 2024 examined the measures in the Czech Republic

To cope with the destructive floods in autumn 2024, Marton said, top-notch cooperation between the Czech Hydrological Institute, the basin companies and the rapid response of the state and local governments in the Czech Republic contributed. The historically well-designed reservoir system also helped significantly. Thanks to timely rainfall forecasts and a quick declaration of a state of emergency, the measures were launched without delay. "The reservoirs began to be released on time, the forecast became more accurate and the first steps in the form of flood control measures were taken," he says.

Drab, who is involved in the development of its assessment report, also has a positive view of the management of the 2024 flood. The evaluation is not yet complete, he says, but it is already clear that the preparedness and functions of the forecasting service worked excellently, as did the activities of the emergency services, the basin companies and the flood authorities. Flood protection measures also performed well, he says. "Of course, there are always some problems in such a complex situation, but overall I consider it to have been managed in all respects."

The assessment report itself is detailed and contains a number of chapters. It takes around six months to compile after the preliminary assessment report. "It evaluates not only the causes of the flood, i.e. the factors leading to its occurrence, but also the course in terms of hydrology, the effectiveness of flood control measures and the activities of the flood authorities.It also includes an analysis of the damage caused by the flood," Dráb explains.

Challenges in building flood protection measures

Czech Republic has a well-managed flood protection system, according to Dráb, but the implementation of measures often faces problems in the form of property rights settlements and meeting the requirements of nature conservation. "Settlement of property rights is quite complicated. Quite often, for example in the case of dry reservoirs, it happens that the measure is to be located in the territory of a different municipality than the one it is supposed to protect."

According to Marton, in the case of large strategic constructions, a path to implementation should always be sought. However, he also acknowledges that people's emotional attachments to their home tend to be very strong, which can complicate matters. "An example is the Chance Dam, where some people unfortunately couldn't bear to leave their homes," he mentions.

The construction of the Nové Heřmínovy dam in the Bruntál region is also related to these problems. This has long been controversial because it means flooding part of the village of Nové Heřmínovy, which has provoked opposition from local residents and environmental organisations. "The importance of this dam for the whole flood protection system was calculated by Professor Starý and me in 2007 when I started my PhD studies. Already then we proved that the dam would protect the town of Krnov and the adjacent villages from floods," Marton says.

Despite these difficulties, the preparation of flood protection measures is still going on. "There are a number of other solutions that will be implemented gradually and are in various stages of preparation," Dráb points out. As an example, he cites the Skalička water works, which would significantly contribute to the protection of the area along the Bečva River in the Přerov and Hranice regions, or flood protection for the town of Kroměříž, which the institute is working on.

Planners of flood protection measures often also face complications related to protection of cultural monuments. "In these locations, the main concern is that the measures do not disturb the character of the area. A good example is the flood wall at the Švihov Water Castle," says Dráb. A similar approach has also been applied in Prague, Třebíč, Český Krumlov and Terezín.

He warns, however, that flood protection measures should meet the criteria of economic efficiency. In this context, it is more difficult to determine the value of heritage buildings and to quantify the damage adequately. "These are the aspects we focus on - we evaluate the effectiveness of flood protection measures in the context of the site, estimate flood damage and assess their benefit on that basis," explains Dráb.

Flood lessons shape the experts

Education about floods and flood protection measures is still insufficient, according to Drab, and should be aimed not only at experts but also at the general public. "Inaccurate information appears in the media and the issue is often expressed by people without professional training whose opinions are biased. The more informed the public is, the better," he says. Although there are some awareness-raising activities, they are not systematic, in his opinion.

Higher education institutions can play a role in raising awareness. In a class on meteorology, climatology and hydrology, BUT students saw how crucial these topics are using the 2024 floods as an example. "We were able to explain the causes of the floods while they were still fresh and watch what was happening over Europe," Marton says.

At the same time, he said, this extreme phenomenon showed the importance of the water professions and the interconnectedness of their work. "It showed the whole process - from hydrological forecasts and modelling to the implementation of flood control measures - and that experts from the Czech Hydrological Institute, river basin companies, the state administration and private companies preparing construction projects are involved."

In the same breath, however, Marton adds that last year's floods unfortunately did not generate as much interest in the field as needed. "A well-managed crisis situation is one that is noticed by the fewest people. So the fact that the floods were well-managed and didn't cause as much damage as in the past also meant that student interest waned quickly."

We can't do it without water managers

A similar trend has been observed by Drab, at whose institute the lessons learned from the recent floods are being applied both in professional and scientific research student activities, and directly in Flood Protection and Assessment of NPP siting areas in terms of flood, climatic and meteorological phenomena, where students are taught flood risk analysis, its impacts and flood protection with emphasis on economic, ecological and safety aspects.

He attributes the lack of interest in the topic to an overall decline in engineering students. "Many are now focusing on other specialisations, which also affects the construction industry. And it is here that some subfields are more affected than others - water management is unfortunately one of those neglected," he says. Together with his colleagues, he tries to motivate high school students through various excursions, open days, lectures and educational programmes. "We want to introduce students to what is happening in water management and show them that it is a promising, interesting field, that it makes sense and that it is important for society."

The strength of the field, according to both experts, is job security - the demand for graduates is not declining because professionals are still in short supply. And more will be needed in the future. "Water management is a key sector and part of critical infrastructure. The experienced generation is leaving and there are not enough young specialists. With the increasing frequency of extreme events, the demand for these professions will only increase," Marton concludes.