According to the ministry, the funding will be used to help to reinforce river banks and reconstruct ditches, as well as restore the water systems in drained areas, repair watercourses and restore ponding areas – the lower banks of a watercourse where water can be channeled to in case of flooding.

"In areas at risk of flooding, the prevention and mitigation of potential damage must be tackled in a systematic way," said Michal.

"Bank stabilization is one solution, but flood management is also facilitated by floodplain restoration and water body rehabilitation. In this way, we give the excess water somewhere to accumulate – the more space there is to go somewhere, the less it will cause problematic flooding."

Flooding in Estonia tends to occur mainly in coastal areas. The cities of Pärnu, Haapsalu, Kuressaare and Tallinn are all at risk from coastal storms for instance. In Pärnu and Haapsalu, the last time the sea exceeded critical water levels was in December 2015.

The sea encroaching on urban streets can endanger people, obstruct traffic and damage property. If high water levels persist for a long period. In Pirita last October, floodwater also disrupted the work of the rescue services and the police.

When it comes to inland waterways, the Emajõgi River in Tartu, the Pärnu River in Sindi, or Lake Tamula in Võru can all pose flood risks, as was the case in early April 2023, when the water level in Lake Tamula reached a critical limit during the spring floods. 

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