Olkusz. The ban on entry to forest areas has been extended

Pursuant to the decision issued by the forester of the Olkusz Forest District, forest areas covered by the entry ban have been designated in 16 areas in the Pomorzany and Żurada forest districts, located in the communes of Bolesław, Olkusz and Klucze. There is destruction of trees and degradation of the forest undergrowth caused by sinkholes, as well as progressive flooding and ground erosion. These areas are marked with no-entry signs.

The introduced entry ban is valid until the end of this year, with the possibility of shortening or extending its validity period.

Read also: The ground collapsed near the gas pipeline. Miners: the sinkhole does not pose a threat

The sinkholes appearing in the areas of these communes are the result of former mining activities conducted by the “Olkusz-Pomorzany” zinc-lead ore mine belonging to Zakłady Górniczo-Hutnicze “Bolesław” in Bukowno.

Mining in this mine ended in 2020, and then the mine drainage pumps were turned off. In 2022, ZGH “Bolesław” established a special team for monitoring potential sinkholes to monitor areas after cave-in mining in its former mines.

Read also: Sinkholes on the provincial road. One of them was about three meters deep

The mayor of Bolesław, Krzysztof Dudziński, told PAP last year that earth sinkholes are nothing new in the commune and have been appearing for several dozen years. He admitted that in recent years, after the closure of the mine, the phenomena had intensified, but they occurred in forest areas.

In mid-February last year, a sinkhole related to the activities of ZGH “Bolesław” appeared several meters from the newly built Bolesław bypass. The hole is about 8 meters in diameter and about 5 meters deep. The Road Authority in Olkusz decided to temporarily close the bypass to traffic. Less than a month later, a second sinkhole occurred on the other side of the road.

Read also: Another sinkhole in the Bolesław bypass. “We are surprised”