Many institutions of state and local administration at various levels of management are involved in flood protection in Poland. According to the Water Law Act, the key role in this respect is played by PGW Wody Polskie, but this does not exhaust the catalogue of entities involved in the protection of people and property against flooding. To varying extents, it involves both the Council of Ministers, the ministers responsible for water management and internal affairs, and the director of the maritime office, as well as – at lower levels of state and local government administration – provincial governors, voivodship marshals, district governors, village heads and mayors. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management plays an important role, providing hydrological and meteorological forecasts and hazard warnings. In 11 Regional Water Management Authorities in Poland there are operational flood protection centres that locally monitor the situation in rivers and reservoirs on an ongoing basis and prepare daily reports on the hydrological and meteorological situation. The list of entities involved in flood risk management, especially in situations of imminent threat of high water inflow, is completed by specialised sanitary, veterinary, medical and uniformed services, as well as aid organisations. People and businesses themselves also have an important role to play in establishing the safety chain, and it is their responsibility to secure the facilities they own and to respond to flooding. It is precisely about the response to floods, what to do and in what order to do it when the high water comes, that Stop Flood ambassador Karol Wójcicki talks to Brigadier Krzysztof Batorski, MA, spokesman for the Chief Fire Officer of the State Fire Service.
We invite you to watch the interview.