Floods in Poland – 4 million people at risk. Polish Academy of Sciences experts call for urgent action

Poles must learn to live with floods – this is the main conclusion of the latest report by the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), dedicated to rebuilding the resilience of society and infrastructure to the effects of floods. Experts agree that the risk cannot be completely eliminated, but social and economic losses can be reduced.

Floods are a natural phenomenon, not an exceptional event

The report is the result of work by the Post-Flood Resilience Reconstruction Team of the PAN Committee on Water Science and Water Management, prepared in close cooperation with experts from Polish Waters. According to the authors, it is the first such extensive analysis of the effects of the 2024 floods and an important contribution to building future flood management strategies.

We cannot think of floods solely as disasters. We must treat them as recurring phenomena that we can prepare for, minimizing losses and shortening recovery time – comments Prof. Paweł Rowiński, PhD, director of the Institute of Geophysics, PAN, and chair of the Committee.

And the numbers show why this matters. According to the report, floods in Poland are responsible for 40 percent of all losses caused by natural disasters. The scale of the threat is influenced both by geographic conditions and by spatial planning and hydrotechnical infrastructure that require modernization. Currently, about 4 million people live in flood-prone areas – all are potentially at risk of losing their lives, health, or property.

Lessons from the 2024 disaster

The Oder, the Vistula, and their tributaries have overflowed many times, often with tragic consequences. The PAN report summarizes floods from 1903 to 2010, with particular attention to last year’s devastating event. Current data show that nine people lost their lives in the 2024 disaster, and nearly 11,500 buildings were damaged.

PAN experts assessed the mistakes and shortcomings that contributed to the heavy toll. According to them, communication systems failed, hampering emergency response in Stronie Śląskie. Another problem was the spread of unreliable information on social media – the authors argue that society needs education on how hydrotechnical facilities function and on proper responses during emergencies.

The researchers also criticized aspects of water management. Despite the experience of 1997, many key investments in the Upper Oder region have not been completed, and existing infrastructure remains outdated and only partially functional. The authors also criticized the dissolution of the Boards of Land Reclamation and Water Facilities and the transfer of their responsibilities for small streams and drainage systems to Polish Waters.

PAN also points to the lack of legal regulations that would enable stakeholder participation in water management planning processes and the absence of an updated regulation specifying the technical conditions for hydrotechnical structures and their placement.

How to rebuild flood resilience in Poland

The PAN report does not limit itself to criticism but offers concrete recommendations for the future. The authors emphasize that flood risk can be reduced through water retention, exposure can be managed through appropriate land use in floodplains, and vulnerability can be minimized by strengthening the resilience of society and infrastructure.

The report also highlights the key needs of specific regions. Priority should be given to investments in areas facing the greatest urban and industrial pressure (Upper Vistula, Upper Oder, Warta). In lowland and wetland areas (Narew, Bug, Lower Oder), natural retention and meltwater management systems should be developed.

Creating a national system for rebuilding flood resilience, covering all water regions, should become a priority of the country’s water and climate policy – the report concludes.