River beds must be cleared out before autumn rains, minister says

Other mid- and long-term measures must also be prepared to avoid the devastation witnessed at the moment, he said, adding that spatial planning will also have to be re-examined.

Brežan was in Ljubno od Savinji to see the extent of the damage caused by the flash floods, which have swept away several houses and other buildings, flooding scores more, destroying roads and triggering a number of dangerous landslides.

"The main thing is to ensure unhindered water flow, so that any potential similar events, which may happen in the autumn, will not cause damage such as this," the minister said.

Solutions will also have to be found for buildings in at-risk areas, as well as infrastructure located in rivers beds, he said.

Measures need to be drafted by experts, so as best to avoid similar damage, said the minister, who was accompanied by State Secretary Matej Skočir and Water Directorate director Nada Skočir.

"But it must be said that if such extreme events continue to occur in the future, we most likely don't have effective measures, and construction siting will have to be re-evaluated," said Brežan. A lesson must be learned from this and buildings should be constructed further away from rivers to minimise damage.

He said that the government would cooperate with local authorities in finding solutions for people whose homes have been swept away or severely damaged.

Slovenia has experience in this respect, he said, pointing to a devastating earthquake that shook the Soča Valley 25 years ago and a massive landslide that destroyed the village Log pod Mangartom 23 years ago.