Poor water status in Poland. NIK criticizes public administration

The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has evaluated the actions of public administration bodies aimed at achieving good water status in the country, as required by the so-called Water Framework Directive. The document published yesterday presents a number of accusations against the Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection, the Polish Waters authority, as well as village mayors and town mayors.

Water status in Poland far from EU standards

The NIK audit covered the period from January 2018 to January 2024 and included the activities of the Ministry of Infrastructure, eleven units of Polish Waters, the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (GIOŚ), five regional environmental inspectorates, and five municipal offices. The direct reason for initiating the audit was the results of the national environmental monitoring, according to which more than 90% of surface water bodies (SWBs) in Poland are in poor condition.

According to the Water Framework Directive, member states granted derogations must achieve good status of waters and dependent ecosystems by 2027. In Poland, by the end of 2021, this goal had not been met for 99.5% of SWBs – 94.6% of them were assessed as being in poor condition. The worst situation concerns transitional and coastal waters, where 100% of SWBs were found to be in poor condition.

Delays, failures, and controversies after the Oder River disaster

NIK auditors examined how the legally mandated responsibilities were fulfilled by the institutions responsible for water management. In its post-audit statement, NIK indicated that the Minister of Infrastructure failed to conduct a review or update of river basin management plans within the required timeframe. NIK also found that no targets or implementation indicators had been established for any of the 171 national actions.

With regard to the post-Oder disaster situation, NIK questioned the Minister’s decision to raise the reference value of the water quality parameter – electrical conductivity – arguing that this could lead to greater tolerance for salinity, which encourages the growth of golden algae. According to NIK, the Ministry of Infrastructure also incurred serious delays in updating water management plans and developed them based on incomplete data.

Irregularities in the implementation and monitoring of the water-environmental program

The NIK audit revealed that in three out of five water catchment boards of Polish Waters, planned actions to improve water status were not properly implemented. The auditors found, among other things, delays and shortcomings in reviewing water law permits.

None of the audited municipalities maintained a reliable register of non-drainage tanks. Properties from which liquid waste was collected were not properly recorded, and much of the related data was incomplete.

Monitoring also failed. Polish Waters, village mayors, and town mayors did not fully comply with their obligation to prepare relevant reports, and the data they did include was not used to update action plans.
NIK auditors also raised serious concerns regarding GIOŚ, which they claim did not carry out full monitoring of waters at risk of not achieving environmental objectives and failed to ensure proper organization of the Central Research Laboratory. As a result, in 1,138 cases, tests were conducted in an incomplete manner. Environmental Inspection bodies were also accused of passivity in carrying out wastewater discharge measurements and of failing to apply higher fees to polluting entities.

NIK recommendations

NIK presents a number of recommendations to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Infrastructure, and the Minister of Climate and Environment to improve the planning and monitoring of actions aimed at enhancing water status in Poland. According to the auditors, GIOŚ should improve the assessment of wastewater discharges into water or land and enforce appropriate fees. Village mayors, town mayors, city presidents, and regional environmental inspectors are urged to perform their assigned tasks more diligently.

Is the water status in Poland really not improving?

This question was already tackled two years ago by Piotr Panek in Wodne Sprawy, where he emphasized that the key issue lies not only in the data itself, but in the methods of monitoring and the criteria applied for assessment. It is worth revisiting that analysis – especially now, when the conclusions presented by NIK appear categorical, while the reality calls for a more analytical rather than binary perspective.