The Morava River Basin will repair part of the Baťa Canal this year

Uherské Hradiště - The Morava River Basin Authority will this year repair a section of the Baťa Canal between the municipalities of Spytihněv in the Zlín region and Babice in the Uherské Hradiště region. They will replace, among other things, approximately 70-year-old and now damaged concrete paving stones that stabilize the slopes of the unique waterway's bed. The total costs are estimated by the investor at around four million crowns. David Fína from the Morava River Basin Authority said this today to ČTK.
    The Morava River Basin Authority will begin work only after the boating season ends, i.e., no sooner than in October. "To replace the concrete paving, it is necessary to lower the water level, which would mean limiting or completely stopping operations,” explained Fína. Additionally, this year the Morava River Basin Authority intends to clean the channel of the waterway between Petrova and the Slovak city of Skalica, as well as the lock at Vnorovy.
    This year, the Directorate of Waterways will also invest in the development of the Baťa Canal, creating a marina in Otrokovice in the Zlín region. Construction work will begin this month, with the total costs for the construction of a pier, a launching ramp, and an access walkway being around ten million crowns. Once completed, there will be five marinas in the Zlín region.
    The waterway connecting Otrokovice in the Zlín region and Rohatec in the Hodonín region was created in the 1930s. It originally served for the transport of lignite from mines in southern Moravia to Baťa’s factories and for irrigation. After World War II, the canal fell into disrepair. In the 1990s, efforts began to restore it for tourist use. Each year, around 45,000 tourists visit the canal.
    Moreover, the possibilities for navigation will expand further. In the spring of next year, work will begin on extending the waterway to the south. Tourists could sail as far as Hodonín by the end of 2009. There is also consideration for extending the canal on the northern side. If funding can be secured for the construction of a lock at the Bělovský weir near Otrokovice, navigation may extend all the way to Kroměříž.