Kryzys ekologiczny na Odrze - spóźnione działania podmiotów publicznych

W reakcji na katastrofę ekologiczną, do której doszło na Odrze latem 2022 r. kluczowe organy administracji publicznej odpowiedzialne za bezpieczeństwo obywateli długo pozostawały bierne i nie podejmowały koniecznych działań. Nie zapewniły skutecznego obiegu informacji oraz nie uruchomiły odpowiednich struktur zarządzania kryzysowego. W konsekwencji alerty ostrzegawcze i zakazy korzystania z rzeki skierowano do ludności z co najmniej kilkunastodniowym opóźnieniem. Kryzys na Odrze obnażył brak należytej troski państwa o dobry stan wód. Był to efekt wieloletnich zaniechań jego organów, błędnych działań, a także niewystarczających rozwiązań prawnych.

In summer 2022, the catchment area of the Odra River was affected by an ecological catastrophe the scope of which had been unprecedented. In the river, where water was contaminated along hundreds of kilometres, fish and other organisms, such as clams and freshwater snails, died in large numbers. At least 350 tonnes of poisoned fish were recovered from the Odra River and its tributaries. The results of the analyses conducted by researchers from the Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of Szczecin and experts from non-governmental organisations, which were published at the end of 2023, showed beyond doubt that over 3 million fish died (1,650 tonnes, i.e. 60 percent of their biomass), as well as almost 90 percent of organisms involved in the river’s self-purification processes. Taking into account the scale of the catastrophe and its consequences, it was justified to evaluate the activities of the government administration bodies and state legal persons responsible for reacting on the situation, especially in the light of publicly voiced accusations of their idleness, especially during the first phase of the crisis. It was also important to present the conditions stemming from the actions taken, or negligence that led to idleness. The NIK’s audit focused on two areas: preparedness of the state structures and the circumstances that led to the ecological crisis in the Odra River, as well as the way state bodies reacted on the situation. The article presents the findings of this audit.