MUNICH

Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have agreed on closer collaboration in flood management following the recent catastrophic flooding of the River Oder, which runs through all three countries. Lack of coordination in managing the river has been widely criticized as contributing to the severity of flood damage.

The environment ministers of the three countries and the German state of Brandenburg met last month to determine how best to work together to reduce the consequences of any future floods.

A joint flood management strategy will now be established between the three countries. It will include ecological measures, such as the protection and creation of flood plains to buffer peak flows, and the development of simulation models for forecasting floods.

Some German university institutes have offered research proposals for the development of flood models to the Brandenburg environment ministry.

The environment ministers called on the help of the International Commission Against Oder Pollution (IKSO), representing Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and the European Union, which was set up in 1996 with the aim of developing a collaborative strategy for water protection in the region.