The flood in southern and western Poland is gaining strength. The most difficult situation is in the Opole region and Lower Silesia. Protection from the approaching water can be provided by the Racibórz Dolny reservoir, which began taking water from the Odra on Sunday morning. The head of the National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, assessed that the operation of this reservoir makes “the biggest difference” between the flood of 1997 and the current one. The Regional Water Management Board in Gliwice reported that by 4 p.m. the reservoir had cut the Odra's flood wave, taking in about 108 million cubic meters of water. This is as much as could be poured into 108 National Stadiums in Warsaw.
“The filling of the Racibórz Dolny reservoir is proceeding correctly. By 4:00 p.m. the reservoir had received approximately 108 million cubic meters of water, significantly cutting the flood wave of the Odra River. Our staff is supervising the damming process,” it was reported on Monday on the profile of the Gliwice Regional Water Management Authority on platform X.
Flood in southern Poland. Water level
On its website, the Regional Water Management Authority in Gliwice also reported that at 4 p.m. the level of waters managed by this entity was still slowly decreasing, “which is particularly visible on watercourses in the Vistula River basin”. “We are constantly in the field, where we undertake interventions and check the technical condition of hydrotechnical devices and structures, and analyze the water levels of watercourses and reservoirs. We are also in contact with crisis management services at all levels,” it assured.
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The Regional Water Management Authority in Gliwice reported that in the Upper Odra Water Region, alarm levels were exceeded on Monday afternoon at seventeen water gauge stations: Chałupki (Oder River, decreasing trend), Olza (Oder River, increasing trend), Krzyżanowice (Oder River, unchanged trend), Racibórz-Miedonia (Oder River, unchanged trend), Koźle (Oder River, increasing trend), Krapkowice (Oder River, decreasing trend), Opole-Groszowice (Oder River, increasing trend), Ujście Nysa Kłodzka (Oder River, increasing trend).
The next stations in this region are Grabówka (Bierawka river, decreasing trend) and Ruda Kozielska (Ruda river, unchanged trend), Jarnołtówek (Złoty Potok river), Prudnik (Prudnik river, decreasing trend), Racławice Śląskie (Osłoga river, unchanged trend), Dobra (Biała river, increasing trend), Branice (Side channel of the Opawa river, decreasing trend and Opawa, increasing trend), Bojanów (Psina river, unchanged trend). Furthermore, three water gauges recorded exceedances of warning levels: Krzywa Góra (Budkowiczanka river, unchanged trend), Kamionka (Stradunia river, unchanged trend) and Gliwice (Kłodnica river, decreasing trend).
Racibórz Dolny ReservoirPAP/Michał Meissner
Siewiera: the Racibórz Dolny reservoir makes the biggest difference
On Monday afternoon, the reservoir was visited by the head of the National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera.
He said that this is key infrastructure from the point of view of flood safety in this part of Poland – the reservoir currently protects all large cities along the Oder below it, making “the biggest difference between the flood of 1997 and the flood of 2024”. – On the orders of the president, I came here primarily to receive a complete set of information related to the current condition of this reservoir and preparations to counteract the wave that we expect in the near future – said the head of the National Security Bureau.
– In the coming hours, we expect the inflow of water to be 1.2-1.3 thousand cubic meters per second with a discharge of about 850 cubic meters per second – this reservoir is able to capture and compensate for this difference, guaranteeing the safety of residents below it to the extent possible – explained Siewiera. – The time until 15-16 tomorrow is the time when the fate of the towns located below this reservoir will be decided here – he said.
As he specified, it would take two days of water inflow at a level of 1.2 thousand cubic meters per second to completely fill the reservoir. Therefore, if the estimates that the inflow at this level will cease by Tuesday afternoon are true, its capacity to compensate for the wave on the Oder should not be exceeded.
Racibórz Dolny Reservoir
The Racibórz Dolny reservoir has been filling since Sunday morning to take in excess water flowing in from the Oder. On Sunday, the president of Wody Polskie, Joanna Kopczyńska, announced that the reservoir is planned to be filled with 166 million cubic meters of water. Wody Polskie reported in a statement that “its capacity is 185 million cubic meters, which is enough to fill 185 National Stadiums filled to the roof with water.”
The construction of the dry reservoir in Racibórz was completed at the turn of May and June 2020. It covers an area of 26 square kilometers, and its design capacity is 185 million cubic meters. The length of the reservoir dams is over 20 kilometers. The cost of the investment co-financed by the European Union, the World Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank and the state budget is about two billion zlotys.
The reservoir first accumulated water in October 2020. The Buków polder, located above it, cooperates with the Racibórz reservoir, and its flood capacity is 57 million cubic meters. In the uncontrollable part, it began to accumulate water on Saturday.
Main image source: PAP/Michał Meissner