Crown site inspection

Fear of flooding disappears with protective wall

The Drau Loop in Latschach is still full of floating debris.(Bild: Hermann Sobe)

For 60 years, the residents of the Rosegger Drauschleife have lived in fear of flooding. The river has already burst its banks there three times. An incredible 30 years have passed since the first project was planned. Now the hopeful ground-breaking ceremony has taken place. 

Latschach near Velden and Rosegg narrowly escaped a flood disaster last year. The river was already full to the brim in the Drauschleife area. Fire departments were only just able to protect neighboring settlements with mobile flood protection. In 2018, however, the water masses of the Drau could no longer be held back after heavy rainfall.

In 2018, a 30-year flood of the Drau recently caused massive damage in Latschach.(Bild: Sobe Hermann)

Floods have already claimed lives
"It was a disaster, the water on the first floor was more than a meter high. Everything was destroyed," recalls Peter Zupan (81) from Latschach, who also experienced the enormous flood in 1965, which flooded large parts of Carinthia and even claimed 24 lives. "The shock is still deep-seated, as soon as the Drau level rises in constant rain, I watch the water level at night with a flashlight," says Zupan, whose daughter Petra lives just a few hundred meters away directly on the banks of the Drau. "Last year, it didn't take much for our house to be completely flooded. It's terrible to have this constant uncertainty and fear," she says.

Many people from Latschach came to the ground-breaking ceremony for the protection project. Provincial Councillor Fellner enlightened the citizens.(Bild: HERMANN SOBE)

Fear should soon be history
This fear should soon be history, however, as the official ground-breaking ceremony for the flood protection project at the Drauschleife took place on Friday. If everything goes according to plan, the first construction phase should be completed in the fall of 2025. The 1.5-metre-high earth embankment with additional protective walls will then protect a total of 33 houses and important infrastructure. "Protective structures like this are designed to last for many generations and years, and are therefore an important investment in the future of us all," says Provincial Councillor Daniel Fellner, who is funding the 4.6 million euro project on behalf of the province.

Project is more than overdue
Stefan Aichholzer, chairman of the village community, once again points out that this measure is more than overdue. "The first plans were made in 1994, but they were constantly delayed due to a lack of permits and bureaucratic hurdles. It wasn't until something happened in 2018 that things got moving again. Now we are hopeful."