Smog returned to Poland. In recent days, residents of some western and southern counties of the country have been warned every day not to go out into the streets. On Friday, the air quality in Wrocław increased by 900 percent. Local government officials want to immediately restore the “Fresh Air” program, which was unexpectedly suspended at the end of November.
RCB alert announced in Klodzko district. Residents are asked to refrain from outdoor activities, we read in a statement from the State Security Center.
– When there are windless days, when there is high pressure, fog immediately reminds us, – said the member of Katowice city council, member of “Biomiasto” association Patrick Byalas.
It’s bad, but not as bad as the last few days. On the weekend, the fog returned to Poland. Residents of some western and southern regions of the country received similar warnings every day. On Friday, the air quality in Wrocław increased by 900 percent.
– In these last days, these holidays, under the fog, in the bitter air, in the difficult conditions that we receive the notification of RCB, made us that we have to intervene, – said Alexandra Ovka, co-chair of the Razem party, adviser to the Council . Krakow city.
Politicians from Kraków’s Razem party want to immediately restore the “Fresh Air” program – the program was unexpectedly suspended at the end of November.
READ ALSO: Clean Air Program Must Be Overhauled Acceptance of applications has been suspended
In November, the government suspended the Clean Air program
– Temporarily suspending the acceptance of applications, new applications will begin, because reforms are needed – said Dorota Zawadzka-Stepniak, president of the Board of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Experts and local government officials reacted critically to this.
– It was hinted that a revolution would take place in this program, but it was not advised to stop it in a strict sense, – explained Marcin Krupa, the mayor of Katowice. – It was a very surprising decision, I think it surprised all local governments, – said Katarzyna Kucinska-Budka, mayor of Gliwice. – System shut down suddenly. It is not known how to solve it, said the mayor of Krakow Alexander Misalski.
Urban smog and children’s healthTVN24
Since the beginning of the program, more than one million applications have been submitted for the amount of PLN 37 billion, of which approximately PLN 14 billion have been paid to 650,000 beneficiaries. These violations allegedly concern six thousand applications, amounting to a total of PLN 600 million.
On December 3, several companies suspected of crimes related to this program were reported to the prosecutor’s office. He explained to the Minister of Climate and Environment at that time: – Forgery of documents, forgery of signatures, of course, this applies to a certain percentage of requests, but this percentage of requests in a program where we have already received millions of requests. several thousand – said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment in December.
The Chairman of the Board of the National Fund for Nature Protection and Water Management reassured us. – New and fresh air in a better version will debut next spring, – said Dorota Zawadzka-Stepniak.
That’s why we ask for details. When exactly will the show return? – By the end of the first quarter, as we assumed, the “Fresh Air” program should be resumed. I undertook the management of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. If one feels oppressed, it is temporary. Paulina Hennig-Kloska said that everything will return to its place at the end of the first quarter of the new year.
An international report in which Poland is considered the worst
– Changing hot dogs was one thing, but we’re going deeper here. We know that a directive on the energy efficiency of buildings is coming. Therefore, the thermal modernization of the given buildings should also be considered. We are also changing the application processing system, it will be much easier, thanks to this we will catch up, – said Robert Gajda, vice president of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
The problem of smoke in Poland, although the situation is improving year by year, is an objective problem. This is confirmed by the latest international report State of Global Air. Poland has the worst rating in Europe. You can see it and above all feel it.
– This is really bad. There are many old ovens here. Smoke can be seen in the streets with the naked eye, said one of our interviewees. “It’s hard to breathe,” admitted another interlocutor. – The weather is tragic, – added another.
The reasons for this situation are primarily related to the heating season, to be more precise: the heating of buildings in furnaces that do not meet any emission standards.
The weather is still bad in Poland. “If people had money, no one would smoke” Magda Lusyan/TVN Fact
We need to act because smoke is very dangerous for health.
– Breathing polluted air means an increased risk of developing asthma or chronic respiratory diseases. This is an increase in the risk of malignant tumors and cardiovascular diseases, said Dorota Kolarska from the Razem party.
– Any amount of smoke is dangerous – warned Patrick Bialas.
We must act, but first the government and the Ministry of Climate must act. – We need systemic changes. We need to prepare appropriate regulations to eliminate low-quality fuels and accelerate the energy transition, but we also need programs to accelerate this energy transition, because most Poles do not have the opportunity to replace their fuel tanks, – noted Patrick Bialas.
According to estimates, about 40,000 people die each year in Poland due to air pollution.
Main photo source: TVN24
