“Trees are our allies on the embankments”

– The situation is different than in 1997, because now we have a flattened wave. The Racibórz Dolny reservoir and the Buków polder have flattened it, and the Odra wave has not been superimposed by those from Nysa Kłodzka and other rivers – said Krzysztof Smolnicki, hydrogeologist, ecologist from the “Czas na Odrą” coalition. He added that the gradual decrease in water is recorded in Wroclawbut it is insignificant. The alarm levels are still exceeded there, which is dangerous for the ramparts and fortifications that protect the city. – On the one hand, these fortifications protect us, on the other they pose a threat – he said.

The expert noted that Poland has a problem with water retention in the landscape. – We simply drain this water from the landscape. A few weeks ago we had a drought, it is still being recorded in part of the country – said Smolnicki. He added that in Poland we have hundreds of thousands of kilometers of drainage ditches that drain our landscape.

The Odra River continues to have a high water level. The embankments are saturated with water in some places.

– The embankments in Poland are in various technical conditions. New embankment structures, moved away from the river, as in the case of the embankment in Tarchalice, are a very good solution. The core of this embankment is impermeable, this is a new technology – said the hydrogeologist. – I think that we have known very good technologies for a hundred years, they are healthy trees growing on embankments. They maintain the embankments very well – emphasized the researcher. He added that the 1997 report showed that where trees grew, the embankments did not wash away. – Trees are our allies on embankments, but only if they are not rotten – he explained.

As Smolnicki said, the embankments located away from the river are less at risk of direct breach because the river current is not as high.

– The second important thing: if we move the embankments away from the valley axis, they are lower, and the lower embankments are more stable, less threatened by erosion and landslides. If we moved these embankments not in one place, but in 40-50 places, people would not have to stay awake at night, and the fire department and the army would not have to be mobilized – said the hydrogeologist. – Of course, we are not able to prepare for every big flood – he added. The hydrologist emphasized that the more natural the river valley is, the more resistant it is to disasters.

– Embankments should be built further away from rivers, and development should not encroach on floodplains – he stressed.

The hydrogeologist noticed that we are cutting down forests excessively, there is no retention in wetlands, and the river valleys are very narrow. – All this causes the water to run off very quickly, and then there are low flows and we have drought – explained Smolnicki.