The government wants to spend PLN 23 billion on eliminating the effects of the flood and rebuilding, but the question arises: is it worth rebuilding in places that may be flooded again? Some houses were built in places doomed to failure. More retention reservoirs, more forests and more areas where water can be diverted after heavy rainfall are needed. And less counting on the fact that it will be like this again in a few years.
Many residents in Głuchołazy are once again showing off their destroyed belongings. – Now the most important thing is to rebuild before winter and have a place to live – says Mr. Janusz, a resident of Głuchołazy.
For now, Mr. Janusz is only thinking about the coming months, but he knows that he also has a difficult decision ahead of him. – Let them tell you whether there will be such water again in a year, or in 10 years, or in 5? I have to rebuild because I have to sleep and live somewhere, but the best thing would be to create a flood area, make a dry reservoir, and give me an apartment somewhere higher – says Mr. Janusz.
Experts say clearly – the flood will return to Poland sooner than we think, and it may be larger and more violent than this one.
– What to do with buildings through which water has overflowed, because it looks like it will overflow again in the near future? Here, of course, there will be no courage to say that they need to be moved, or there will be few brave people – comments Bogdan Chojnicki, a climatologist from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań.
No tanks can handle this amount of water
Donald Tusk announces that the government – with the help of the European Union – will allocate PLN 23 billion to fight the destruction caused by the great flood. However, you need to ask yourself how to spend this money.
– Granting permits for development and investment in river flood areas is a conscious act to the detriment of investors, residents and citizens. We hope that this flood will thoroughly wash out and verify this topic – says Piotr Nieznański from WFF Polska and the Coalition Save Rivers.
“It will take us a year to dry it all.” Some flood victims are dealing with the effects of heavy flooding for the second timeMarta Kolbus/Fakty po Południu TVN24
Another important topic is the reconstruction of flood infrastructure. According to scientists, building large retention reservoirs is important, but no reservoirs can cope with the volume of water brought in by the Genoese reservoir, and none affect the cause of the problem.
– First of all, give way to the river wherever possible – says Bogdan Chojnicki. Actions that will reduce the scale of floods are much more important. To start with, moving away flood embankments, for example where there are fields and forests. Secondly, instead of cutting down trees in the mountains, plant new ones.
Tusk: there will be no need to neutralize beavers
One of the ideas of the current government to combat future floods was the possibility of culling beavers. Today the Prime Minister changed his mind.
– These structures will be different so that beavers cannot damage these embankments. Then there will be no need to neutralize beavers during floods. In short: everything will be fine, Mr. Beaver, says Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Beavers may indeed breach flood embankments, but their presence in a broad perspective may have a positive impact on the fight against the climate crisis.
– It has been shown that the presence of beavers means that roads in a given town are less likely to be flooded – notes Professor Piotr Skubała, an ecologist and environmental ethicist from the University of Silesia in Katowice.
Main photo source: TVN24