I\u00a0first visited Baikal in\u00a01978, then as a\u00a0young assistant at the\u00a0Department of\u00a0Physical Geography as part of\u00a0a\u00a0student exchange with Lomonosov University under the\u00a0guidance of\u00a0Professor Kr\u00e1l. During this excursion we flew an incredible 16,000 km, which I\u00a0cannot even imagine today, in\u00a0times of\u00a0economic and time constraints. Among other things, at the\u00a0Lomonosov University summer camp in\u00a0Crimea, we and the\u00a0students defeated their first-league team Lokomotiv Moscow, who were training there, in\u00a0a\u00a0friendly football match, thanks to which the\u00a0entire Bakhchisaray knew us. In\u00a0total, I\u00a0took part in\u00a0fifteen such excursions throughout the\u00a0Soviet Union, including the\u00a0polar Urals, the\u00a0Arctic Ocean coast with the\u00a0Kola and Taimyr peninsulas; later, I\u00a0visited Kamchatka with Russian students. Those were wonderful years; for geographers, excursions are the\u00a0most important and valuable thing of\u00a0all, when they see everything in\u00a0context.<\/p>\n
In\u00a01981, as part of\u00a0a\u00a0scholarship stay, I\u00a0gave a\u00a0lecture on hydrology at Irkutsk University. Thanks to this stay, together with Russian graduate students I\u00a0went to Baikal again, specifically Olkhon Island, for three whole months. I\u00a0worked there at the\u00a0world-famous Limnological Institute of\u00a0the\u00a0Academy of\u00a0Sciences in\u00a0Listvyanka at the\u00a0mouth of\u00a0the\u00a0Angara River and was professionally involved in\u00a0the\u00a0Baikal hydrological balance. As part of\u00a0the\u00a0then freshwater testing of\u00a0bathyscaphes that were brought there for testing from the\u00a0Pacific Ocean, I\u00a0dived to a\u00a0depth of\u00a01,200 m and was able to taste the\u00a0water samples taken from this depth. It was, of\u00a0course, delicious; they even made the\u00a0local vodka named Baikal from it, which I\u00a0then received as a\u00a0gift by mail and I\u00a0have it to this day. I\u00a0then presented this experience with great enthusiasm during a\u00a0for me very important internship in\u00a0Switzerland at ETH Zurich, where I\u00a0led several excursions with Swiss students right after the\u00a0Velvet Revolution. Today, ETH Zurich has its own hydrochemical laboratory on Baikal. I\u00a0can say that I\u00a0was there at its inception.<\/p>\n
However, I\u00a0have a\u00a0funny story connected with Baikal. Thanks to my experience, after the\u00a0Velvet Revolution, a\u00a0group of\u00a0Czech surfers approached me and asked if I\u00a0would help them plan the\u00a0ideal route for crossing it. I\u00a0talked them out of\u00a0the\u00a0longitudinal route, about 630 km; however, the\u00a0transverse route, 120 km north of\u00a0Olkhon Island, seemed realistic. When we finally arrived there, the\u00a0captain, who had been drinking, did not know exactly where to anchor, so we looked for the\u00a0shore using searchlights. In\u00a0the\u00a0morning, we woke up on a\u00a0boat stuck on a\u00a0sandbar in\u00a0absolutely windless weather and waited for the\u00a0wind for several days. In\u00a0the\u00a0end, I\u00a0came up with the\u00a0idea of\u00a0\u200b\u200btaking advantage of\u00a0the\u00a0breeze flow, i.e. the\u00a0wind blowing from the\u00a0land to the\u00a0sea at night and in\u00a0the\u00a0morning. So, we set off from Sarma with six surfers at two in\u00a0the\u00a0morning. By the\u00a0way, in\u00a0the\u00a0deep darkness, we temporarily lost the\u00a0Soviet Union surfing champion. However, around ten o\u2019clock, at the\u00a0northern cape of\u00a0Olkhon Island, the\u00a0breeze died down. Fortunately, after about an hour, the\u00a0Sarma \u2013 the\u00a0local downwind from the\u00a0mountains \u2013 blew at our backs and the\u00a0surfers covered the\u00a0rest of\u00a0the\u00a0route to Ust-Barguzin, which is about 60 km, in\u00a0perhaps an hour and a\u00a0half. By then, everyone knew about us and a\u00a0welcoming delegation with national television awaited us on the\u00a0shore, where I\u00a0sang the\u00a0well-known song \u201cSlavnoye more<\/em>, svyashchenij Baikal\u201d with the\u00a0National Artist of\u00a0the\u00a0Soviet Union. Subsequently, our Karel Gott sang the\u00a0song (laughs).<\/p>\n However, your lifelong love is Latin\u00a0America, whose physical geography you have been lecturing on at the\u00a0Faculty for many years. What captivated you about it? More from the\u00a0perspective of\u00a0hydrology and water management, or the\u00a0people?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n It all started when I\u00a0was about eight years old, when my grandfather, a\u00a0monarchist, landowner and educated man, brought me the\u00a0pulp magazine Gauchos\u00a0\u2013 shepherds of\u00a0semi-wild herds in\u00a0the\u00a0pampas, which completely enchanted me. I\u00a0opened Kucha\u0159\u2019s\u00a0World Atlas, saw the\u00a0colour blue on the\u00a0map (rivers and lakes, author\u2019s\u00a0note) and my interest in\u00a0South America and geography never left me. I\u00a0have always been fascinated by water; even at elementary school, my friends and I\u00a0would measure flow rates in\u00a0streams, catch trout in\u00a0our hands, and skate twelve kilometres to school in\u00a0Plasy on the\u00a0frozen St\u0159ela river. I\u00a0enjoyed geography so much that I\u00a0even occasionally taught it to my classmates from the\u00a0lower grades at secondary school, of\u00a0course as a\u00a0substitute after agreement with the\u00a0professor. When I\u00a0was lecturing on Latin\u00a0America at the\u00a0university, I\u00a0considered it necessary to learn Spanish in\u00a0order to better understand the\u00a0subject. So, I\u00a0attended the\u00a0so-called Intex at the\u00a0castle in\u00a0Pod\u011bbrady, which was intended for our foreign experts. By the\u00a0way, my Spanish teacher, Dr. Jaroslav Nigrin, acted as an interpreter at a\u00a0personal conversation between our then president Gust\u00e1v Hus\u00e1k and Fidel Castro. In\u00a0the\u00a0late 1980s, the\u00a0university\u2019s\u00a0international office called me to ask if I\u00a0wanted to fly to Peru, saying they had bought a\u00a0ticket and the\u00a0person in\u00a0question had fallen ill… without hesitation, I\u00a0happily agreed. I\u00a0flew there on 10 October 1989 \u2013 originally planned for six\u00a0weeks. From Peru, I\u00a0then followed what was happening across the\u00a0ocean in\u00a0our country; on 18\u00a0November, on the\u00a0front page of\u00a0the\u00a0newspaper, I\u00a0saw the\u00a0faculty building with a\u00a0window into my office and next to it a\u00a0photo of\u00a0V\u00e1clav Havel with Alexandr Vondra, whom I\u00a0had taught at the\u00a0faculty for years and who had even started his diploma thesis with me before switching to geomorphology. However, I\u00a0ended up staying in\u00a0Peru for almost a\u00a0year \u2013 I\u00a0accepted guest positions at universities in\u00a0Lima, Cusco and Arequipa and did not return to my homeland until June 1990.<\/p>\n I have been lecturing at the faculty for decades now; in addition to hydrology and oceanography, I also lecture on the geography of Latin America, including\u00a0a\u00a0seminar where we invite diplomats, businessmen, artists, and other globetrotters. I\u00a0also serve as the\u00a0chairman of\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Ibero-American Society, which I\u00a0find very fulfilling. We map social and cultural life \u2013 everything that is happening in\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic on the\u00a0topic of\u00a0Latin\u00a0America. We are in\u00a0touch with seven bilingual grammar schools, with whom we organize a\u00a0competition on Latin\u00a0America with the\u00a0announcement of\u00a0the\u00a0winners in\u00a0the\u00a0historical N\u00e1prstek Museum. And that is beautiful.<\/p>\n As part of\u00a0organizing exhibitions and lectures, you have visited many prestigious as well as regional universities around the\u00a0world. What is the\u00a0attitude of\u00a0their students towards hydrology? Do you remember anything that surprised you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In\u00a0the\u00a0first hydrology lecture, I\u00a0always tell our students that they are no longer in\u00a0secondary school, so they have to discuss with us or critically contradict the\u00a0information they have obtained through argument, mainly in\u00a0seminars designed for this purpose. However, this is still incomparable with the\u00a0Western world, and it could even be a\u00a0small regional university in\u00a0Peru. I\u00a0probably experienced the\u00a0warmest welcome at the\u00a0University of\u00a0San Antonio Abad in\u00a0Cusco, where students took me on numerous excursions around the\u00a0area, such as to the\u00a0Madre de Dios river in\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon; they also regularly invited me to visit their families, and the\u00a0local geography professor even offered me free housing in\u00a0his apartment right on the\u00a0Plaza de Armas, opposite the\u00a0famous cathedral. I, in\u00a0turn, tried to integrate myself into university life there by learning the\u00a0Lord\u2019s\u00a0Prayer in\u00a0Spanish for the\u00a0church service, which was always held an hour before classes. The\u00a0dean appreciated it and told me that none of\u00a0the\u00a0invited foreign guests had done this before.<\/p>\n I\u00a0also think that students at smaller universities are more grateful for the\u00a0information they receive, and after lectures, it is quite common for teachers to be applauded or even tapped on the\u00a0desk, like at universities in\u00a0Seville or Heidelberg. This was also true of\u00a0Irkutsk University, by the\u00a0way. There, May Day celebrations were the\u00a0crowning glory; students were provided support funds to last the\u00a0celebrations, in\u00a0the\u00a0form of\u00a0a\u00a0bottle of\u00a0vodka for three people, which, imagine, was paid for by the\u00a0faculty (!). But seriously, here, the\u00a0overall approach of\u00a0students to education, and this also applies to engaging in\u00a0discussions during classes, is much more reluctant, and we lack in\u00a0this area compared to the\u00a0rest of\u00a0the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n You are still one of\u00a0the\u00a0busiest teachers at the\u00a0Faculty of\u00a0Science at Charles University. How have teaching opportunities changed in\u00a0this regard since the\u00a0turn of\u00a0the\u00a0millennium, when I\u00a0studied physical geography with you myself? And in\u00a0general: in\u00a0your opinion, is interest in\u00a0water studies growing or declining over time compared to then?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Today, in\u00a0addition to standard lectures on hydrography, hydrology and oceanography, we have other specialized subjects such as water management and protection, hydrological extremes and, for English-speaking students, a\u00a0lecture on Flood Risk Management. Thanks to my many years of\u00a0effort, and I\u00a0am truly proud of\u00a0it, we have managed to establish and accredit a\u00a0completely new study programme, which is cross-sectionally covered by teachers from the\u00a0ranks of\u00a0hydrologists, geologists, ecologists, biologists, and chemists dealing with water. At the\u00a0bachelor\u2019s\u00a0level, it is Surface water and Groundwater, and at the\u00a0master\u2019s\u00a0level, Hydrology and Hydrogeology. Students will thus gain\u00a0a\u00a0comprehensive overview of\u00a0the\u00a0nature, use, quality, and protection of\u00a0water, both surface and groundwater. No other university in\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic offers this, and I\u00a0dare say that it has attracted a\u00a0number of\u00a0new students. We would like to compete better with technical fields focused on water, or agricultural fields.<\/p>\n Therefore, we try to work with the\u00a0most modern technologies and devices; for mapping, we use a\u00a0set of\u00a0several drones of\u00a0different sizes as well as total geodetic stations, flow trackers, and ADCP floats for measuring river flows, advanced GIS technologies. In\u00a0\u0160umava we have had a\u00a0number of\u00a0stations measuring for over twenty years; we have meteorological stations at the\u00a0source of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon and in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan. The\u00a0South American one is at an altitude of\u00a05,300 m above sea level, i.e. higher than the\u00a0American station on Denali (Mt. McKinley). It sends the\u00a0measured data every hour via satellite. We organize international field courses in\u00a0physical geography in\u00a0cooperation with the\u00a0universities of\u00a0Heidelberg and Milan. We have also prepared a\u00a0master\u2019s\u00a0degree programme, which students will complete at three universities (Heidelberg, Milan, Prague), receiving three diplomas. We are also waiting for stronger demographic years, so that we can afford a\u00a0greater selection of\u00a0students in\u00a0the\u00a0entrance exams. If, for example, every fourth student succeeds, we have a\u00a0greater guarantee that students will want to stay in\u00a0that field and geography is their priority. If we accept almost everyone, many of\u00a0them drop out after the\u00a0first year for various reasons. Regional universities also compete with us in\u00a0that life in\u00a0Prague is expensive for students and they can get a\u00a0degree anywhere other than Prague. I\u00a0would like future employers to ask, as is common in\u00a0Western countries, not just whether an applicant graduated, but also from which university.<\/p>\n I\u00a0am convinced that regional universities, and this is true in\u00a0general, cannot provide the\u00a0same professional level of\u00a0education for those who really want to succeed in\u00a0their field or scientific discipline. I\u00a0say this with all seriousness as a\u00a0member of\u00a0the\u00a0National Accreditation Authority. We currently have over forty small, regional private universities, which is probably a\u00a0record for the\u00a0number of\u00a0inhabitants. It is good business, but the\u00a0quality of\u00a0teaching varies, including the\u00a0demands of\u00a0thesis writing, and students often do not have access to the\u00a0latest research findings. Otherwise, I\u00a0personally was lucky to always surround myself with people interested in\u00a0science and a\u00a0given field of\u00a0study, who are not necessarily first-class students, but rather students who think objectively, logically, and geographically. These are people who work in\u00a0the\u00a0field with joy and enthusiasm, where they obtain\u00a0valuable data in\u00a0order to research and subsequently publish. Many of\u00a0them then became my colleagues.<\/p>\n With a\u00a0team of\u00a0hydrologists, including myself as a\u00a0PhD student, you have been researching lakes, river water quality, and bogs for a\u00a0long time. What can be taken away from those years of\u00a0continuous research as the\u00a0most important insight into their functioning and importance for the\u00a0Czech countryside?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I\u00a0believe \u2013 and we are talking about soil, lakes, bogs and watercourses \u2013 that what we have here, i.e. water in\u00a0the\u00a0landscape \u2013 that we must not only protect but also multiply its reserves for the\u00a0future. For example, on the\u00a0Liboc stream, there is 1.5 to 1.6 times more evaporation than precipitation, the\u00a0righthand streams of\u00a0the\u00a0Oh\u0159e regularly dry up in\u00a0the\u00a0summer, and the\u00a0Rakovn\u00edk, \u017datec, and Podbo\u0159any districts are deeply passive in\u00a0terms of\u00a0balance. However, the\u00a0solution may not necessarily be just the\u00a0construction of\u00a0new dams according to the\u00a0General LAPV, although we will probably have no other choice in\u00a0these passive areas in\u00a0the\u00a0future. As part of\u00a0the\u00a0project of\u00a0the\u00a0Technology Agency of\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic, my colleagues and I\u00a0are working on the\u00a0restoration of\u00a0historical small water reservoirs in\u00a0the\u00a0headwaters of\u00a0rivers, or even the\u00a0possible restoration of\u00a0ponds. However, I\u00a0feel a\u00a0lot of\u00a0resistance from nature conservationists there, even though those reservoirs functioned well for more than a\u00a0hundred years until the\u00a01960s, fulfilling both a\u00a0retention and an accumulation function. Both are important \u2013 one helps to solve the\u00a0adverse consequences of\u00a0floods, the\u00a0other of\u00a0droughts.<\/p>\n For larger dams, it is difficult to make decisions based on the\u00a0pros and cons. Where, in\u00a0the\u00a0long term, the\u00a0positives outweigh the\u00a0negatives, politicians (whom I\u00a0certainly do not envy) have an easier time making decisions than in\u00a0places where dams are not wanted in\u00a0the\u00a0long term. From a\u00a0nationwide perspective, as climate change progresses, it will probably be necessary to build new reservoirs, especially the\u00a0water management ones. However, we must not forget about the\u00a0restoration of\u00a0river ecosystems, construction of\u00a0wetlands and pools, reduction of\u00a0the\u00a0speed of\u00a0water runoff from the\u00a0landscape through less soil compaction, improving its structure, and construction of\u00a0anti-erosion measures in\u00a0the\u00a0landscape. We have known all this for a\u00a0long time, but it is more difficult to implement this knowledge in\u00a0reality.<\/p>\n As for the\u00a0quality of\u00a0river water, after the\u00a0Velvet Revolution there was a\u00a0significant improvement in\u00a0the\u00a0water quality in\u00a0our streams from quality class IV\u2013V\u00a0to class II\u2013III.; this was due to a\u00a0decrease in\u00a0fertilizer application and, in\u00a0particular, the\u00a0massive construction of\u00a0municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants with European money, often directly from Germany because two-thirds of\u00a0our land drains into Germany. There has been a\u00a0huge shift there. However, over the\u00a0past ten years, the\u00a0water quality has not improved, and even \u2013 especially in\u00a0small streams in\u00a0the\u00a0countryside \u2013 has deteriorated due to the\u00a0increase in\u00a0water temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to convince the\u00a0responsible ministries and municipalities to build sewerage and wastewater treatment plants even in\u00a0the\u00a0smallest municipalities with up to two thousand inhabitants. And despite the\u00a0huge progress, I\u00a0see a\u00a0great debt as well as potential in\u00a0this.<\/p>\n I\u00a0would also like to mention the\u00a0long-term project to monitor the\u00a0stability of\u00a0moraine dams in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan. What is the\u00a0situation there today and has the\u00a0Kyrgyz side managed to follow up on our research?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n First, there were two development cooperation projects. They concerned dangerous lakes located in front of melting glacier lobes. In cooperation with geologist Michal \u010cern\u00fd from the Jihlava company Geomin and local Kyrgyz experts, we have been assessing the stability of moraine dams since 2005 as protection against flash floods during their potential outburst (GLOF phenomenon, \u201cGlacial Lake Outburst Flood\u201d). We flew by helicopter over individual mountain valleys and assessed the level of potential danger of glacial lake dams bursting. After identifying the least stable ones, we then conducted a detailed\u00a0field survey. In\u00a0the\u00a0capital city of\u00a0Bishkek and on Lake Issyk-Kul, we\u00a0participated in\u00a0the\u00a0organization of\u00a0three international conferences on risk processes in\u00a0high mountains with the\u00a0participation of\u00a0foreign experts and local politicians. Among the\u00a0twelve dangerous lakes identified, we paid the\u00a0most attention to Petrova Lake in\u00a0southern Tian Shan. Using geophysical and geodetic methods, we investigated the\u00a0stability of\u00a0the\u00a0dam and created a\u00a0detailed bathymetric map of\u00a0the\u00a0lake, which reaches the\u00a0area of\u00a0\u200b\u200bour Ro\u017emberk Pond. The\u00a0importance of\u00a0this research lies in\u00a0the\u00a0fact that it is located above the\u00a0area of\u00a0\u200b\u200bthe\u00a0major Kumtor gold mine. If it were to burst, the\u00a0mine infrastructure would be destroyed and, in\u00a0particular, the\u00a0toxic tailings pond cyanides and heavy metals would be washed out. This would result in\u00a0a\u00a0huge ecological disaster on the\u00a0Naryn River.<\/p>\n In\u00a0recent years, we have left the\u00a0country due to political instability and clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, but this year we would like to return to the\u00a0country after twenty years since the\u00a0beginning of\u00a0the\u00a0project and once again\u00a0assess the\u00a0stability of\u00a0the\u00a0Petrova Lake dam with numerous so-called thermokarst depressions and lakes, where the\u00a0melting glacier is constantly bringing a\u00a0mass of\u00a0water into it and the\u00a0lake volume is constantly increasing over time.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the\u00a0Czechs\u2019 very good reputation in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan \u2013 and this was also true during the\u00a0times of\u00a0Czechoslovakia, when many Kyrgyz studied here \u2013 was ruined by the\u00a0failed project to build dams and hydroelectric power plants on the\u00a0Naryn River (a\u00a0tributary of\u00a0the\u00a0Syr Darya); then, a\u00a0company that had not built anything abroad or in\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic before that time was involved at the\u00a0government level and won the\u00a0construction tender. We probably all still remember that embarrassment in\u00a0the\u00a0media. We have several quality companies that, if they had participated in\u00a0the\u00a0tender at the\u00a0time, could have made a\u00a0billion-dollar business for the\u00a0Czech Republic. At the\u00a0same time, however, we were evaluated as the\u00a0best Czech development project for many years of\u00a0work in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan and reducing natural risks. Subsequently, in\u00a02012, another project was carried out under the\u00a0patronage of\u00a0NATO \u2013 it also has its own security research, finding water sources for the\u00a0drying up Aral Sea. And that was really interesting, especially considering today\u2019s\u00a0political situation. I\u00a0received a\u00a0recommendation directly from NATO headquarters in\u00a0Brussels to include Russian scientists in\u00a0the\u00a0project, supposedly as part of\u00a0the\u00a0then rapprochement of\u00a0the\u00a0two armies. I\u00a0remember that back in\u00a0Bishkek, I\u00a0witnessed a\u00a0\u201cfriendship\u201d between local Russian soldiers and soldiers from the\u00a0American Manas base. And everyone got on very well back then…<\/p>\n I\u00a0know that as the\u00a0discoverer of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon\u2019s\u00a0sources, you are preparing a\u00a0grand voyage for Netflix from its mouth to its sources. What exactly do you want to say or prove with this journey?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Brazilian director Yuri Sanada is preparing a\u00a0series of\u00a0films about the\u00a0Amazon for Netflix, YouTube, and perhaps even Hollywood. He recently approached me asking if I\u00a0would like to collaborate with him on a\u00a0two-year expedition to produce films about the\u00a0Amazon for these companies. In\u00a0addition, he was excited to learn that we were celebrating a\u00a0hundred years of\u00a0diplomatic relations with South American countries and that our exhibition, organized to mark the\u00a0twenty-fifth anniversary of\u00a0the\u00a0discovery of\u00a0the\u00a0sources of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon, was travelling through Latin\u00a0American countries and universities. In\u00a0addition to Chile (two universities in\u00a0Santiago) and Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mendoza), the\u00a0exhibition will also stop at the\u00a0Catholic University in\u00a0Rio de Janeiro, where the\u00a0rector is a\u00a0Jesuit who knows the\u00a0work of\u00a0the\u00a0Czech priest, missionary, and creator of\u00a0the\u00a0first map of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon, Samuel Fritz, so it will all be somehow symbolically joined together.<\/p>\n In\u00a0recent years, we have left the\u00a0country due to political instability and clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, but this year we would like to return to the\u00a0country after twenty years since the\u00a0beginning of\u00a0the\u00a0project and once again\u00a0assess the\u00a0stability of\u00a0the\u00a0Petrova Lake dam with numerous so-called thermokarst depressions and lakes, where the\u00a0melting glacier is constantly bringing a\u00a0mass of\u00a0water into it and the\u00a0lake volume is constantly increasing over time.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the\u00a0Czechs\u2019 very good reputation in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan \u2013 and this was also true during the\u00a0times of\u00a0Czechoslovakia, when many Kyrgyz studied here \u2013 was ruined by the\u00a0failed project to build dams and hydroelectric power plants on the\u00a0Naryn River (a\u00a0tributary of\u00a0the\u00a0Syr Darya); then, a\u00a0company that had not built anything abroad or in\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic before that time was involved at the\u00a0government level and won the\u00a0construction tender. We probably all still remember that embarrassment in\u00a0the\u00a0media. We have several quality companies that, if they had participated in\u00a0the\u00a0tender at the\u00a0time, could have made a\u00a0billion-dollar business for the\u00a0Czech Republic. At the\u00a0same time, however, we were evaluated as the\u00a0best Czech development project for many years of\u00a0work in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan and reducing natural risks. Subsequently, in\u00a02012, another project was carried out under the\u00a0patronage of\u00a0NATO \u2013 it also has its own security research, finding water sources for the\u00a0drying up Aral Sea. And that was really interesting, especially considering today\u2019s\u00a0political situation. I\u00a0received a\u00a0recommendation directly from NATO headquarters in\u00a0Brussels to include Russian scientists in\u00a0the\u00a0project, supposedly as part of\u00a0the\u00a0then rapprochement of\u00a0the\u00a0two armies. I\u00a0remember that back in\u00a0Bishkek, I\u00a0witnessed a\u00a0\u201cfriendship\u201d between local Russian soldiers and soldiers from the\u00a0American Manas base. And everyone got on very well back then…<\/p>\n I\u00a0know that as the\u00a0discoverer of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon\u2019s\u00a0sources, you are preparing a\u00a0grand voyage for Netflix from its mouth to its sources. What exactly do you want to say or prove with this journey?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Brazilian director Yuri Sanada is preparing a\u00a0series of\u00a0films about the\u00a0Amazon for Netflix, YouTube, and perhaps even Hollywood. He recently approached me asking if I\u00a0would like to collaborate with him on a\u00a0two-year expedition to produce films about the\u00a0Amazon for these companies. In\u00a0addition, he was excited to learn that we were celebrating a\u00a0hundred years of\u00a0diplomatic relations with South American countries and that our exhibition, organized to mark the\u00a0twenty-fifth anniversary of\u00a0the\u00a0discovery of\u00a0the\u00a0sources of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon, was travelling through Latin\u00a0American countries and universities. In\u00a0addition to Chile (two universities in\u00a0Santiago) and Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mendoza), the\u00a0exhibition will also stop at the\u00a0Catholic University in\u00a0Rio de Janeiro, where the\u00a0rector is a\u00a0Jesuit who knows the\u00a0work of\u00a0the\u00a0Czech priest, missionary, and creator of\u00a0the\u00a0first map of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon, Samuel Fritz, so it will all be somehow symbolically joined together.<\/p>\n After the\u00a0exhibition opens at this university, I\u00a0should also give a\u00a0lecture at the\u00a0University of\u00a0Bel\u00e9m at the\u00a0mouth of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon, from where a\u00a0boat, powered by solar panels, will set sail upstream of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon following in\u00a0the\u00a0footsteps of\u00a0Samuel Fritz. Incidentally, Jesuit missionaries, including those from the\u00a0then province of\u00a0Bohemia, left significant traces throughout Latin\u00a0America. This is evidenced not only by church monuments, but also by the\u00a0settlements they founded.<\/p>\n But back to the\u00a0planned expedition. The\u00a0ship should also be equipped with satellite navigation for precise measurement of\u00a0the\u00a0length of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon, so that it can finally be decided whether it is longer than the\u00a0Nile. And there are also the\u00a0long-standing, now perhaps extinguished passions regarding the\u00a0discovery of\u00a0its sources; we narrowly overtook a\u00a0twenty-member helicopter expedition financed by the\u00a0National Geographic Society under the\u00a0leadership of\u00a0Andrzej Pietowski, who had been preparing the\u00a0expedition for two years and had three million dollars for it. The\u00a0Czechs managed it with seven people on horses, in\u00a0tents, and with a\u00a0budget of\u00a0300,000 CZK. And we still had some left (laughs). It was a\u00a0special meeting in\u00a0the\u00a0valley of\u00a0the\u00a0Lloqueta River. When they learned from us what our expedition had done in\u00a0the\u00a0field and with the\u00a0help of\u00a0the\u00a0most modern equipment, they decided to fill an entire issue of\u00a0National Geographic magazine with articles and make a\u00a0film about the\u00a0source area. However, six months later, at a\u00a0press conference in\u00a0New York, they announced to the\u00a0world that they had discovered the\u00a0main\u00a0source of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon in\u00a0the\u00a0summer\u2026 Ten years had passed since I\u00a0gave a\u00a0lecture on the\u00a0sources of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon at the\u00a0conference of\u00a0the\u00a0Association of\u00a0American Geographers (AAG) in\u00a0Washington. It was attended by several hundred geographers, as well as most of\u00a0the\u00a0participants in\u00a0the\u00a0National Geographic Society expedition to the\u00a0sources of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon in\u00a02000. Professor Pietowski apologized to me in\u00a0front of\u00a0everyone and generously supported us publicly. So,\u00a0an\u00a0American happy ending!<\/p>\n Professor, do you have any other hydrological or geographical dreams and goals that you would like to achieve?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I\u00a0would like to visit Baikal again, the\u00a0places I\u00a0went to decades ago, to meet people I\u00a0knew, if they are still alive, and to write a\u00a0new book about this unique lake. But that is not possible now \u2013 I\u00a0cannot go to a\u00a0country that continues the\u00a0terrible war in\u00a0Ukraine.<\/p>\n I\u00a0have many memories of\u00a0Baikal and Siberia, and they cannot be forgotten. Two hours north by jeep from Baikal, I\u00a0experienced the\u00a0most extreme cold in\u00a0the\u00a0Boday Bo gold mine, in\u00a0the\u00a0Lena River basin; it was 55 degrees Celsius below zero. I\u00a0would not want to freeze like that again, but I\u00a0would very much like to soak up the\u00a0atmosphere of\u00a0the\u00a0old times. Hopefully, after finishing my memoirs called Albertovsk\u00e9 pov\u00eddky (Albert\u2019s\u00a0Stories), I\u00a0will still find time for that. And the\u00a0second wish is to successfully complete the\u00a0pilgrimage of\u00a0our exhibition through South American countries, so that the\u00a0discoveries of\u00a0Czech geographers and Jesuit missionaries become more widely known to people, for example students or politicians and diplomats. It could help further research and perhaps even business in\u00a0these beautiful countries. Last but not least, I\u00a0would like to publish the\u00a0long-awaited Atlas of\u00a0Czech Lakes, which we have been talking about at our department for about twenty years. Hopefully I\u00a0will see it happen.<\/p>\n Finally, let me ask a\u00a0personal rather than a\u00a0hydrological question. I\u00a0know that you used to play football very well. Do you still play and do your children follow your steps in\u00a0this respect?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The older son Martin played football for Sparta as a child, then switched to athletics, where he now competes very successfully in the hurdles for Dukla. Simultaneously, he has to focus on completing his studies at the University of Chemistry and Technology, where his thesis topic is natural stimulants from the Amazon, which he extracts in the laboratory from natural materials and samples sent from companies in Brazil. He then compares active ingredients, such as aphrodisiacs, obtained from natural products with synthetic ones, which are\u00a0found in\u00a0most commercial products, mainly due to price, and are not as effective. Latin\u00a0America thus remains in\u00a0the\u00a0family. My younger son Adam played hockey for Vla\u0161im and Sparta, and for a\u00a0while he also played football for Vltav\u00edn Hole\u0161ovice, before following his older brother\u2019s\u00a0example and ending up in\u00a0athletics and hurdles. He is also finishing his studies in\u00a0German at the\u00a0Na Pra\u017ea\u010dce secondary school, so he also has to work hard. And I\u00a0\u2013 I\u00a0support my club Sokol Mladotice, which now plays in\u00a0the\u00a01st B class and Viktoria Pilsen in\u00a0the\u00a0league. I\u00a0started playing football in\u00a0the\u00a0district championship in\u00a0Mladotice and experienced three promotions. On the\u00a0pitch in\u00a0Plasy I\u00a0also met a\u00a0well-known Sparta player, V\u00edt Lavi\u010dka, who is younger than me, so I\u00a0may have taught him something of\u00a0his art (laughs). Now I\u00a0just ride my bike along the\u00a0Vltava to the\u00a0north and back along the\u00a0other bank and I\u00a0am proud that I\u00a0can still ride those forty to fifty kilometres on a\u00a0classic bike without the\u00a0help of\u00a0an electric motor. And once or twice a\u00a0week I\u00a0go swimming. I\u00a0am happy about that and I\u00a0hope that my health and strength will last!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rozhovor-obr-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h6>\nFig. 1. Opening of\u00a0a travelling exhibition around South American universities for 25 years since the\u00a0discovery of\u00a0the\u00a0sources of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon by Czech scientists<\/h6>\n
<\/a>\nFig. 2. Visiting the\u00a0greenhouse of\u00a0the\u00a0Botanical Garden of\u00a0the\u00a0Faculty of\u00a0Science of\u00a0Charles University in\u00a0Prague, the\u00a0oldest continuously functioning botanical garden in\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic<\/h6>\n
<\/a><\/h6>\nFig. 3. On the edge of the Colco canyon in the southern Peru, one of the deepest canyons of South America<\/h6>\n
<\/a>\nFig. 4. At the\u00a0Amazon\u2019s rock spring, one of\u00a0the\u00a0two sources of\u00a0the\u00a0Carhuasanta River below the\u00a0top of\u00a0Mismi in\u00a0the\u00a0Chila Mountains in\u00a0the\u00a0Peruvian Andes<\/h6>\n
<\/a>\nFig. 5. Installation of\u00a0the\u00a0climatological station in\u00a0the\u00a0source of\u00a0the\u00a0Amazon River in\u00a0Peru (5,051 m above sea level), the\u00a0second highest climatological station in\u00a0South America<\/h6>\n
<\/a>\nFig. 6. Hydrological research in\u00a0Ala Archa National Park in\u00a0the\u00a0Tyan-Shan Mountains in\u00a0North Kyrgyzstan<\/h6>\n