On Thursday, 8 April, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the plan developed by the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) entitled 'Priority Action Directions for Land Drainage Policy 2021–2027', which defines the development of the drainage sector over the next seven years. ZM manages forest and agricultural land resources and land drainage in Latvia.

The plan defines the priority directions for land drainage management policy, which are aimed at achieving qualitative and sustainable performance results for drainage systems. The plan was prepared to identify existing problems hindering the development of land drainage, to formulate development goals for land drainage, and to establish priority actions to resolve these issues. The plan sets out priority action directions for land drainage from 2021 to 2027, although these may remain relevant after 2027.

The plan analyses the importance of land drainage and its impact on flooding, as well as evaluating the efficiency of state and EU financial resources used in the land drainage sector. Based on the problems identified in land drainage, necessary action directions and achievable results have been determined, including the necessary financial resources.

Maintaining drainage systems is essential for reducing flood risks in rural areas. Furthermore, fully functional drainage systems promote the productivity of agricultural and forest land. By maintaining high-quality drainage systems, flood risks are prevented or reduced, protecting residents in rural areas and their buildings, farms, and machinery from flooding, as well as safeguarding agricultural and forest land, roads, and other significant infrastructure and assets.