Repairs begin on flood-damaged gas pipeline in Hynčice in Czechia's Bruntál region

Repairs have begun on a gas pipeline damaged by flooding in Hynčice, part of Město Albrechtice in the Bruntál region. It is not yet clear when the work will be completed. Mayor Jana Murová (ANO) told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today. Floodwaters inundated hundreds of homes in the town and its outlying areas, and two are slated for demolition. The current also swept away several bridges and footbridges. A normally unremarkable stream turned into a force that took everything in its path, the mayor said.

„Construction work related to the gas pipeline repairs has already begun. We don't have a work schedule yet, so I have no idea when the gas will be back on. We want to tell people when they can expect to see light at the end of the tunnel, so they can start heating their flooded homes. But the fact that repairs have begun is good news,“ she said.

She added that repairs to the gas pipeline in Hynčice are a prerequisite for work in nearby Holčovice, where the gas company will continue its repairs.

Hynčice, with a population of 700, was the hardest-hit area of Město Albrechtice and its outlying areas. Floodwater inundated all 228 homes there. Two houses are slated for demolition. In addition to the gas pipeline, the current also devastated the water main. It ran alongside the river and, in one section, beneath its bed. The water destroyed everything.

The situation is now much worse than in 1997, when Hynčice was also hit by catastrophic flooding in early July, the mayor said. The drinking water supply was restored there on 26 December that year. „It was a Christmas present for our residents back then,“ she said, adding that repairs this time will continue into 2025. „We're working on alternative solutions to get water to people. In freezing temperatures, supplying residents with water tankers will be a problem,“ she said.

As well as Hynčice, the water affected the villages of Ostravice and Linhartovy, and the part of Město Albrechtice along the Opava River. There, the water swept away part of the riverside road. The river channel widened from about eight metres to 50 metres. „We lost bridges and footbridges. We managed to remove some footbridges with a crane before the water arrived. But we couldn't get to some of them. Elsewhere, it wasn't possible because a gas pipeline was attached to the footbridge,“ Murová said.