Latvian Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs will assess the situation of melioration systems in Luban Lake.
On Thursday, June 14, Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs will go to a working visit to Luban Lake and the surrounding areas to visit several important objects of melioration systems – dams, pump stations, etc., including the northern dam of Luban Lake after the August 2017 flood damage.
“Maintenance and restoration of state-of-the-art melioration systems in good condition is a very important task, as it protects from floods thousands of inhabitants, farmers and entrepreneurs, their mushrooms, plantations and forest lands, their structures, machinery and farms, roads, bridges and other infrastructure objects,” says Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs.
It has already been reported that in the second half of the summer of 2017 and in the autumn, the long-standing heavy rays caused major damage to national and local melioration systems in many places. After long-term rainfall with increased precipitation in Latgale region during the second half of the summer of 2017 and autumn, the volume of water drainage increased significantly, a large part of which is located in Luban Lake. In the context of a limited penetration of the Aiviekstes river and the Meuranium Canal, the reduction of water levels in Luban Lake was hampered. This led to a significant increase in water levels in Luban lakes, exceeding the average operating level of the lake by up to 1.7 metres, resulting in the resilience of Luban Lake's northern dam and the threat of breaking the lake, so that the CONSTRUCTION of the dam was carried out operatively.
THE ZMNĪ continues to implement significant projects in reducing flood risks, renovation and reconstruction of agricultural and forestry land, restoration and reconstruction of state-owned hydrotechnical structures, as well as the restoration of water drainages of national significance. For this purpose, €80 million of public funding is foreseen for 2014-2020 – €43.4 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and €36,6 million from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
During the visit, Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs will meet with the leaders of local governments of Luban Lake and entrepreneurs to talk about further cooperation opportunities for improvement of various economic activities in the Lake Luban region.
During this working visit, Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs will also participate in the conference “Latgale 2020: Agricultural Development – Opportunities and challenges” in Rezekne. The representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Support Service will inform participants of the conference regarding the future of THE EU Common Agricultural Policy, as well as the achievements of the rural development programme in 2018 and the possibilities offered by it to farmers and rural entrepreneurs. The National Revenue Service, the Council of Farmers' Organisations, the Association of Farmers producing Latgale will also be taken into account with reports on the most topical sector. The education of agricultural specialists will also be discussed and discussions will be held on key issues.
Latgale farmers, rural entrepreneurs and other stakeholders are invited to the conference. The conference will be held on Thursday, June 14, at the 105 th Audience of Rēzekne Technology Academy Engineering Faculty at the 105 th Audit Alliance, Rēzekne, beginning at 10:00.
The information was prepared by: Dagnia Muceniece,
Head of the press and public relations department
phone: 67027070, mob.: 26534104;
email: Dagnija.Muceniece@zm.gov.lv