Despite the rain at the weekend, the situation remains tense. Households in the Lavanttal area (Carinthia) have to be supplied with water. First fire bans had to be issued. But the chance of igniting Easter heaps is still alive.
The past few weeks have brought almost no precipitation worth mentioning. And the consequences of this deficit are already being felt in Carinthia – as reported. Fire brigades have to supply households with precious water, especially in the Lavanttal area. Dry as a bone again from Monday A low expected this weekend and bringing some rain, regionally even thunderstorms, will not change that. The groundwater level is likely to remain low. “And from Monday it will be dust-dry again due to the blow-dryer,” experts from Ubimet announce. The municipality of Liebenfels, for example, is calling for pools to be filled in good time. “We have to coordinate this so that there is no water bottleneck,” explains Mayor Klaus Köchl, who has 250 pool owners among his fellow citizens. Meanwhile, the increasing dryness of the forest soil is also causing concern. The area around Villach is already considered to be at risk of forest fires, which means that open fires, smoking, smoldering or pyrotechnic objects are prohibited in the vicinity of the forest with immediate effect. Section 41 of the Forestry Act has also been activated in the St. Veit district, which prohibits lighting fires due to the particularly dry weather. “It’s more of a precautionary measure. It should remind people not to be careless. This ordinance is issued four to five times a year,” explains Heinz Hochsteiner from the district authority. Easter bonfires are not banned for the time being, they continue to enjoy exceptional status as traditional bonfires. However, they must be reported to the community no later than four days before they burn down, which will forward this to the fire brigade warning center. Hundreds of Easter fire reports arrive there every year.
source site-12