The commune of Krosno Odrzańskie is located on the Odra and Bóbr rivers. In September, due to the flooding of both rivers, there were numerous floods. Water flooded 230 houses. Losses are estimated at PLN 30 million. Therefore, the councilors began to strive for the construction of flood embankments. The commune cannot afford such a large investment, hence the appeal to the provincial and central authorities for help.
During the last session of the Krosno Odrzańskie commune council (Lubusz Voivodeship), councilors unanimously adopted an appeal regarding the construction of flood embankments in Osiecznica, Stare Raduszec and Radnica. As they say, it is addressed to local government authorities at the provincial level, but also to the central authorities.
– This is a priority for us, because other security measures make no sense – says Paweł Szymczak, the village head of Osiecznica and a councilor.
The Bóbr River in Stary Raduszectvn24.pl
They survived three floods, and they don't want to wait for the fourth
The Krosno Odrzańskie commune has struggled with floods three times: in 1997, in 2010 and in September 2024.
– In the last 30 years, we have had three really big floods that caused massive damage. For example, the flood of 1997, where the entire lower town was underwater and the national road was impassable. In the last flood, almost 230 buildings were flooded, which makes us the most affected commune in Lubusz – says Radosław Sujak, chairman of the commune council.
The commune authorities realize that building embankments is a large and expensive investment that the local community cannot afford. More support from central authorities is necessary. – We hope that there will be people responsible to allocate such large amounts of money for the construction of embankments. Today we are talking about an investment that should be carried out by the Polish Waters institution and I hope that these funds will be found – says Mayor Grzegorz Garczyński.
Flood bill
The letter with the appeal of the commune authorities is to be sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the President of Polish Waters, Lubusz MPs and the voivode. In the document, the councilors emphasize that the investment, although expensive, “in the long run will bring tangible economic benefits compared to the costs associated with removing the effects of the flood, which involve large financial outlays and long-term problems.”
– If we calculate the costs associated with the destruction of infrastructure, it may turn out that in the next few years and with the changing climate, there may be more and more floods, and therefore the cost of protection will be lower than the subsequent compensation payment – adds Sujak.
Flooded OsiecznicaNatalia Żołądek
It is estimated that the damage after the September flood amounts to approximately PLN 30 million. This amount includes: estimated costs of renovation and reconstruction of residential buildings, farm buildings, an educational building, a sports facility and a historic building. “A total of six kilometers of roads, four kilometers of the sewage system, 16 pump stations were damaged. Two river ports were also destroyed,” the councilors enumerate and draw attention to two more costly aspects.
One of them are flood benefits and special aid grants for emergency aid. In the Krosno Odrzańskie commune, over 600 applications were accepted, amounting to PLN 3.1 million. The activities related to preparations for the arrival of the peak wave on the Oder and Bóbr Rivers alone cost half a million zlotys. In turn, clean-up work after the flood amounted to PLN 130,000.
– We assume that the construction of embankments is simply necessary – adds the chairman of the commune council.
Main photo source: Natalia Żołądek