Polski
Poland has been working with the World Bank Group on water management activities for more than 25 years. Last Friday, March 8, 2024, another meeting of the parties involved took place. The main issues discussed were those related to the new project in water management.
What is the World Bank?
The World Bank, or rather the World Bank Group, is an organization of five institutions – IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA and ICSID. Their common goal is to reduce poverty, increase shared prosperity and promote sustainable development in developing countries. It is one of the key sources of venture funding and has been in operation since 1947. Since its inception, the World Bank has financed more than 12,000. development projects by providing loans, interest-free loans, and grants. In Poland, more than 70 projects have so far been carried out in cooperation with the organization, many of them related to water management. The so-called. The new project, for which a recent meeting was held with World Bank representatives, will increase this number.
How did the meeting with World Bank representatives on water management go?
On March 8, 2024. Meetings were held in Warsaw with representatives of the World Bank – the regional director for the World Bank. Sustainable development for the Europe and Central Asia region Samehem Wahba and program leader Marc Sadler. One of them, concerning a new project in water management, was attended by, among others. Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka and representatives of the Board of Directors of the Polish Waters: Joanna Kopczyńska and Mateusz Balcerowicz. The main topic of discussion at this meeting was the possibility of obtaining funding from the World Bank for the implementation of the so-called “World Bank”. new project. Representatives of the organization not only showed interest in the topic, but also declared the possibility of co-financing in the amount of 500 million euros.
In addition, the meeting with representatives of the World Bank was an opportunity to discuss potential ways of obtaining additional financial support for road transport entrepreneurs (who have lost access to eastern markets) and for carriers showing a desire to obtain funds for the purchase of low- or zero-emission vehicles. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka took the opportunity to thank representatives of the World Bank for the fruitful cooperation so far, which has lasted for 25 years. In particular, he appreciated the support for flood management projects in the Oder and upper Vistula river basins.
What does the new project in water management involve?
The so-called. a new project in water management, which Friday’s meeting, deals with the expansion, modernization, as well as construction of new hydrotechnical infrastructure in Poland. It is intended to provide protection from flooding. With this implementation, three main goals are to be achieved, improving water management in our country.
The first is to reduce flood risk and improve flood management for the upper and middle Vistula river basin area, as well as to strengthen the protection of important urban and industrial centers from the effects of flooding. The second – to reduce the risk of drought in areas and sectors that are particularly susceptible to such a phenomenon, including agriculture, industrial and drinking water supplies, and nature. And the third is to strengthen institutional capacity in mitigating the effects of floods and drought, as well as in more effective monitoring of river water quality, which will enable better protection of biodiversity and the environment. The total cost of implementing the new water management project has been set at an estimated €1.5 billion.
How has Poland’s cooperation with the World Bank on water management been so far?
The planned cooperation on a new project in water management, in connection with which a meeting was held between the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and representatives of the Polish Waters and representatives of the World Bank, is another joint venture in this area in Poland.
The first joint activities took place more than 25 years ago, as part of the Flood Mitigation Project. These included the reconstruction of technical and social infrastructure in areas affected by the 1997 millennium flood. The second project, however, was the Oder River Basin Flood Protection Project. The World Bank Group’s support enabled faster and more effective implementation. As part of it, the Racibórz Reservoir was built and the Wroclaw Water Junction was modernized.
Main Photo: Anna Dziedzic
