In August 2026, the State LTD “Real Estate of the Ministry of Agriculture” (ZMNĪ) completed flood protection infrastructure renovation and reconstruction projects across Latvia with the support from EU Recovery Fund. The upgraded infrastructure and new equipment improve flood preparedness, strengthen the resilience of state land drainage systems and help protect people, property and areas from flooding.
“Floods and storms of recent years have increasingly demonstrated the importance of a safe and well-maintained land drainage infrastructure. By investing more than EUR 31 million, we have improved flood protection for people in Latvia’s rural areas and their properties. The renovated flood protection infrastructure will also help protect farmland, forests, roads, power lines and other infrastructure important to residents and businesses in the regions. In addition, the renovated dykes and pumping stations, together with the new equipment, will enable a much faster and safer response when weather conditions pose a real threat,” emphasises Minister for Agriculture Uldis Augulis.
A total of 22 state land drainage system facilities have been renovated or reconstructed:
- 9 pumping stations;
- 12 protective dykes with a total length of 66.3 km;
- 1 canal with a length of 11.3 km;
- 4.5 km of a drainage watercourse of national significance;
- 9 high-capacity mobile pumps purchased;
- 8 high-capacity generators purchased.
The reconstruction of pumping stations and the renovation of protective dykes, a drainage watercourse of national significance and a canal were carried out in Dienvidkurzeme Municipality (Nīca and Otaņķi parishes), Talsi Municipality (Ķūļciems Parish), Ventspils Municipality (Ugāle Parish), Mārupe Municipality (Sala and Babīte parishes), Ropaži Municipality (Stopiņi Parish), Jelgava Municipality (Līvbērze Parish), Ogre Municipality (Tīnūži Parish and the city of Ogre), Jēkabpils Municipality (Sala Parish), Rēzekne Municipality (Nagļi and Rikava parishes), Līvāni Municipality (Rožupe Parish) and Madona Municipality (Ošupe and Barkava parishes).
All mobile pumps and generators are mounted on trailers, allowing the equipment to be quickly transported and deployed wherever needed. The equipment is stored across all regions of Latvia, in Talsi, Dienvidkurzeme, Jelgava, Ropaži, Preiļi, Valmiera and Madona municipalities, as well as in Riga and Ogre.
A total of EUR 31.3 million has been invested in the projects, including EUR 26 million from the EU Recovery Fund and EUR 5.3 million in co-financing from the Latvian state budget. As a result of these investments, more than 10,500 people and their properties in Latvia’s rural areas will benefit from improved protection against flooding. The pumps and generators also enable a rapid response and ensure the operation of pumping stations in emergencies, including power outages and periods of heightened flood risk, as was already demonstrated during the storm of August 22nd–23rd.