“The flood will probably submerge Wody Polskie, established in 2018 for the central management of water management, which – as the government claims – has failed the most important test during the current crisis. The state institution is accused of, among other things, losing control over retention reservoirs intended to protect areas from flooding and the lack of earlier actions for flood protection,” he writes “Republic“.
Is this the end of Polish Waters? “The institution is poorly situated”
According to the newspaper, Polish Water may also be to blame for the dramatic financial condition of water and sewage companies, which are deprived of the ability to set water rates. Tensions are said to be growing among the employees of the institutions, and many residents of the areas affected by the flood blame Polish Water for negligence.
The head of Polish Waters, Joanna Kopczyńska, said during the meeting of the crisis team on September 19 that the company's employees were attacked, which is why they were assigned protection. This especially concerned employees of the Nysa catchment board and those who operated the Nysa reservoir. – They are accused of various things, and because criminal threats are being made against them, I have forwarded the case to the appropriate services – Kopczyńska emphasized.
– This institution is poorly situated, the scope of its competences is incomprehensible. The PiS government has created a sick entity that is functioning badly – commented Wadim Tyszkiewicz, an independent senator and former president of Nowa Sól in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita”. The newspaper notes that Polish Waters are also burdened with the previous PiS government's abandonment or slowdown in investments in flood protection infrastructure.
Polish Waters in Trouble: “The Company Was Completely Robbed of Money”
The State Water Management Authority Wody Polskie was established in 2018. Joanna Kopczyńska began managing the institution in January 2024. The decision in this matter was made by the Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak.
The head of Polish Waters spoke on September 22 during the crisis headquartersthat when she began managing the institution, she “found a company that had been completely robbed of money”. – From the beginning, we have been trying to find funds to carry out the work and this year, despite the very difficult situation in Polish Waters, the funds available for mowing the embankments are 2.5 times higher than last year. However, it is still not an amount that would satisfy everyone – she explained. – We are encountering financial problems related to the way this financial management was conducted by our predecessors – she added.