Prague Builds New Flood Control Reservoir

Czech water management authorities in Prague’s Karlín district began construction on a new retention basin. The reservoir will hold six thousand cubic meters of water, roughly the volume of six Olympic swimming pools. It aims to protect the city from floods and heavy rainfall while also preventing pollution of the Vltava River.

The project costs over 361 million Czech crowns and should be completed in spring 2028. In 2024, an existing reservoir captured 35,000 cubic meters of polluted water. This water was then diverted to a wastewater treatment plant for cleaning.

Officials expect the combined capacity of both reservoirs to double flood protection for Karlín. They hope to prevent a repeat of the 2002 floods that damaged the neighborhood. The long-term effectiveness of the system against increasingly severe weather events remains to be seen.