Pļaviņas Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) cannot in any way influence the situation in Augšdaugava, because its water reservoir does not reach that far, said Latvenergo HPP technical director Andris Zēģele, commenting on the invitation from the municipal administration to announce a state of emergency in the region.
He explained that the best Pļaviņas HPP can do is influence Daugava River all the way until the middle of Sakas Island, but no further than that, because the water level of Pļaviņas HPP reservoir is 72 m above the sea. Daugavpils, on the other hand, stands 90 m above the sea. «Physics do not allow us to influence anything in this situation,» stressed Zēģele.
He also said
the flow of water in Daugava River is approximately 2 800 m3/sec.
But this is not dangerous. The last time water flow reached this level was 2013. «At the moment we are working at full power in all of our HPP,» said Zēģele. He added that the water level in the river is on a rise. However, nothing needs to be done in terms of HPP operations.
Due to the rapid rise of water levels in the river, Augšdaugava municipal administration decided on the 30th of March meeting to ask the Cabinet of Ministers to declare a state of emergency in Bebrene, Dviete, Kalkūne, Līksna, Nīcgale, Pilskalne, Svente and Tabore.
The administration’s executive director Pēteris Dzalbe explained that the situation changes every hour. While there was a slight drop in water levels in the morning, a couple of hours later water levels started going up again. He said the current water level at Pļaviņas HPP is 8.2 m. It may yet drop to 7.6 m.
These 60 cm are critically important.
If the government were to declare a state of emergency in the region, the municipal administration would have the right to request from the state a compensation to help cover consequences. Otherwise the municipality will have to cover costs on its own. Multiple villages in Dviete, Bebrene and Līksna are currently flooded.
According to information from the Latvian State Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre for the 30th of March, the water level in Daugava River will continue going up, flooding lower areas in western parts of the country. An orange level warning in in force in Jersikas–Nīcgale section of Daugava River due to the high water level. Areas there are it risk of flooding. Orange level warning means evacuations may be necessary.
Latvenergo explains the start of the year proved this occurrence could become an annual event that will likely last until the end of spring floods. This means the flood period could last between December and April.
Latvenergo predicts this year Latvia may experience one of the biggest floods in the past decade.
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