Flood protection: districts push for decisions

The districts of North Saxony and Anhalt-Bitterfeld are pushing for better flood protection in the border region between Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Urgent measures are needed to improve flood protection on the Mulde, Lake Seelhausen and the Lober-Leine Canal, the two districts announced in a joint statement.

In doing so, they increased the pressure on the two state governments. The background to this are weak points that became particularly apparent during flood events in 2002 and 2013.

District demands

The districts demanded a decision on the future course of the Mulde, Lober and Leine tributaries, for example. This could be done either by relocating them back to the old bed of the Leine or by creating a new section of water before discharging them into Lake Seelhausen, they said.

In addition, the districts demanded that the Lober-Leine canal, which is currently considered to be a flood-prone dividing line between Lake Seelhausen and Lake Goitzsche, be dismantled and that the area be "upgraded in terms of flood protection".

Urgency meets bureaucracy

Another concern is the construction of a flood-proof, controlled transfer structure between Lake Seelhausen and Lake Goitzsche as well as a polder in the Mulde foreland with controlled inlet and outlet structures in the direction of Lake Seelhausen.

The districts criticized the delay so far and emphasized the need for recognizable joint activities by the water authorities in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in order to implement the measures as quickly as possible.