The spring floods are still ahead, and this is a concern, said Jēkabpils Mayor Raivis Ragainis (Latvian Green Party). Currently, the ice mass is wedged a little more than a few kilometers from the city. Although the most important thing has been done in January, some of the work on strengthening the inner side of the dam is still ongoing.
“At the moment we see the water flowing down the bottom, but as soon as the mass goes down, it can suddenly compress somewhere, and then there will be a problem,” said Ragainis.
Financing from State budget resources has been allocated to prevent the damage done in January - damaged roads and sewer infrastructure.
“We will support [the intention] to allocate over two million euros from contingency funds to cover the bills that have been paid so far, or for the jobs that continue,” Krišjānis Kariņš said.
Funding will be sought in European funds to raise new, more robust protective structures. It will need at least €10 million and the construction project could be ready in May, the Jēkabpils mayor said.
