The collection of signatures under the civic draft act on giving measles legal personality began. This is to help her protect her. The Marshal of the Sejm officially adopted a decision to establish a Legislative Initiative Committee. Meanwhile, the Provincial Administrative Court ruled that Polish Waters conducted regulatory work on the Odra illegally.
Heavy equipment and regulatory work to tame nature – this is a view that is everyday on the Oder. However, according to the court, this is a view that should not be. The point is that Polish waters operated on the Oder without a proper environmental decision, i.e. illegally.
– The courts behave properly and the Odra is concreted. The surgery was successful, the patient died – illustrates Błażej Bugajski, legal advisor of the applicant.
It's hard here for optimism, because although the judgment is the applicants' thought, concrete in the river is already there. – After the disaster in 2022, the court ordered to suspend immediate work on the regulatory measles, while the work continued – indicates Krzysztof Smolnicki, a hydrologist from the coalition “Time for Oder”.
– The authority, which is called to protect the environment, led to a situation in which he did not really see what the state of the environment is, but allowed him to enter heavy machines into these habitats – indicates Błażej Bugajski.
The project was supposed to facilitate the work of icebreakers and improve the conditions of navigation. Unfortunately, something else happened. – Losses are largely unbearable, because the edge is damaged, the river is stoned over a section of tens of kilometers, stone spurs are stuck in the river – says Krzysztof Smolnicki.
This is all plus regular sewage and pollution from the mine can contribute to a repeat from the ecological disaster in 2022. – The river was murdered, we killed the river, and it did not die on one section, it died over the entire length – noted prof. Zbigniew Karachun, an expert of the climate coalition.
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They want legal personality for the Oder
That is why the collection of signatures under the bill, which is to protect the measles. – The Act assumes that the Odra River will become a legal person – explains Dr. Stanisław Kordasiewicz from the “Odra” Foundation, University of Warsaw.
Perhaps it sounds abstract for some, but such a procedure has already been used in the world many times. The first with legal personality was a river in New Zealand, and rivers from India, Canada, Colombia, Spain and hundreds of others came.
– It is not that the river will become a human person, but will have a legal personality, just like corporations have it – explains Krzysztof Smolnicki.
This means that this river and its ecosystem can be better protected, even from those who mainly care about profit. – Thanks to this, she will be able to demand compensation in the event of pollution directly from a person who would cause damage – emphasizes Dr. Stanisław Kordasiewicz. Therefore, destruction, concreting or pollution of the river will not be so easy and unpunished.
Source of the main photo: Tvn24