During the storm on 22 and 23 August, heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise rapidly in many water bodies. For example, on the morning of 23 August, water levels began to rise rapidly in Ogre, Ikšķile and Tome because the stationary pumps at the polder pumping stations were not operating due to a power outage. This created a risk of flooding in residential areas and buildings. To prevent this, the state-owned company “Zemkopības ministrijas nekustamie īpašumi” (ZMNI) promptly connected a new mobile pump in Ogre, which was used to pump water out of the storage basin. By the afternoon of 23 August, power supply had been restored in Ogre and Ikšķile, and the situation quickly returned to normal as the stationary pumps brought water levels back within normal limits. The use of the high-capacity mobile pump helped prevent residents’ homes from flooding. Meanwhile, a newly purchased high-capacity generator was delivered to the Ķūļciems polder pumping station near Lake Engure in Talsi Municipality to ensure the continued operation of the pumping station.
As previously reported, earlier this year ZMNI purchased nine mobile pumps with financial support from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), amounting to EUR 1.88 million from EU and State budget funds, to strengthen preparedness for situations where the capacity of existing polder pumping stations is insufficient to effectively drain water when water levels reach dangerously high levels. In addition, eight new generators were received in mid-August, with EUR 0.44 million provided from EU and State budget funds.
The aim of these investments is to reduce flood risks in rural areas of Latvia and promote adaptation to climate change by reducing risks to residents, infrastructure and economic activities in flood-prone areas. Mobile solutions are needed in situations where stationary pumps are damaged or their capacity is insufficient to drain increased volumes of water following prolonged heavy rainfall, spring floods or other extreme weather events.
ZMNI has received eight mobile pumps, each with a maximum capacity of 1,260 m³/h, as well as one mobile pump with a maximum capacity of 115 m³/h. The fuel tanks of the eight high-capacity pumps allow them to operate continuously for up to 24 hours without additional refuelling, while the lower-capacity pump can operate for up to 36 hours without refuelling. To ensure the rapid transportation and deployment of the equipment where needed, all pumping units are mounted on trailers. This allows them to be quickly transported to areas where additional water pumping capacity is required or where flood-related risks need to be addressed. Each of the eight generators has a rated capacity of 120 kW, and connection points have been installed at the reconstructed pumping stations to enable their use.
