– The Polish state was not prepared and did not respond decently to mass sleeps of fish with an unknown origin at the time," said Marian Banaś, president of the ultimate Chamber of Control (NIK), refusing the results of the study entitled “Golden algae – a tiny algae that exposed the inability of a large state” during a conference summarizing the action of the authorities in relation to the ecological crisis in Odra.
— This situation is the tip of the iceberg, adding the president of the NIK, stressing that the state has a very mediocre water economy.
— It was 1 of the biggest ecological disasters in the past of European waters “Iwona Zyman, manager of the NIK delegation in Opole, said. It pointed out that the disaster had been preceded by long-term negligence by the State and the authorisation of large quantities of sewage into the river. Ignored advanced level of salinity, which may have affected the reaction of golden algae and as a consequence the mass fall of fish in the summertime of 2022.
Raw evaluation of the functioning of the written government
According to the ultimate Chamber of Control (NIK), it can be concluded that the state did not show appropriate preparation, and its institutions acted passively and did not respond with due speed. There were shortcomings in the documentation and the water position reports sent to the ministries were not adequately assessed. In addition, there were no decently prepared action plans in specified situations.
"The ecological crisis in Oder has shown that state authorities have not been prepared to address threats caused by river pollution. This is the consequence of many years of omissions, misactions and insufficient legal solutions," the ultimate Audit Office indicated.
In this context, irregularities have been identified, including in the activities of the Minister of Climate and Environment and the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection. For example, it was pointed out that Anna Moscow "has taken on the function of the main associate in the crisis management strategy without written authorisation from the Prime Minister". In turn GIÓŚ did not supply general access to the results of studies and measurements on water quality in the river Oder.
— The obligations of the State authorities were not decently implemented and in a multiannual perspective, and in the summertime of 2022. The recorded errors and omissions pose a threat to further disasters, not only in the Oder but besides in another rivers. said Iwona Zyman.
The NIK auditors besides pointed out in the study the incorrect implementation of global obligations. In accordance with the principles of the 1996 Agreement, The situation in Oder should be notified to our neighbours immediately, i.e. the Czech Republic and Germany.so that these countries can prepare decently for the threat in the river.
The study besides states that "The Government Crisis Management squad has not put forward any proposals to usage the forces and measures essential to effectively address the crisis situation, nor has it developed any recommendations aimed, inter alia, at minimising hazard factors for the recurrence of specified risks".
The ultimate Audit Chamber pointed out that in the first phase of the crisis, the public was not informed of the threat and that access to the river Oder was not restricted, despite the deficiency of information on the origin of the contamination and the possible wellness effects of contact with contaminated water and the biological substances contained therein.
“It was besides allowed to let unprepared people (e.g. members of the Polish Fishing Union or volunteers) to clean the river from dead fish,” says the report.
As indicated during the conference, the examination of the documentation is ongoing and it is possible that there will be a notification to the D.A. in this case, as in the case of checks on covid temporary hospitals.
This is from
A ruthless study from NIK on Odra. PiS did not respond adequately to environmental disaster:
