Cry me a river: Poland’s threatened waterways

The author contends that Poland's plans to develop inland navigation on the Vistula and Odra rivers will lead to environmental destruction, increased flood risks, and water shortages. The text argues that the projected 20 billion euro investment by 2030 is unrealistic and serves a narrow hydro-engineering lobby rather than the public interest. It further criticizes the European Union and World Bank for funding projects that potentially violate the Water Framework, Habitats, and Birds Directives, advocating instead for community-led governance of rivers as common goods.

• The Polish government's waterway plans for 2016 to 2020 aim to develop inland navigation on the Odra and Vistula rivers and build a connecting canal, which would integrate the Middle Vistula Valley into the E40 Odessa-Gdansk waterway.
• The development of these waterways is estimated to cost nearly 20 billion euros by 2030, with approximately 2.3 billion euros allocated by 2020.
• The author argues that river regulation and the construction of reservoirs for navigation actually increase flood risks due to torrential rains and low water periods, contradicting government claims that such plans reduce flooding.
• Water scarcity in Poland, combined with high consumption by coal-based energy generation (which provides 88% of electricity), creates a risk that navigation projects will cause drinking water shortages and conflicts.
• The Odra-Vistula Flood Management Project, valued at over $1.317 billion, is funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ($504 million), the Council of Europe Development Bank ($329 million), and the European Union ($219 million).
• The author claims that the project violates EU environmental legislation, specifically the Water Framework Directive and the Habitats and Birds Directives, and notes that Poland previously impoverished 20,000 km of small rivers through EU-funded projects between 2007 and 2013.

APA

Gawlik, E. S.-J. R. (2016). Cry me a river: Poland’s threatened waterways. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/cry-me-a-river-polands-threatened-waterways/

Chicago

Gawlik, Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, Radosław. Cry me a river: Poland’s threatened waterways. Green European Journal, 2016. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/cry-me-a-river-polands-threatened-waterways/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Gawlik |first1=Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, Radosław |title=Cry me a river: Poland’s threatened waterways |publisher=Green European Journal |date=28 November 2016 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/cry-me-a-river-polands-threatened-waterways/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{gawlik2016cry, author = {Gawlik, Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, Radosław}, title = {{Cry me a river: Poland’s threatened waterways}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/cry-me-a-river-polands-threatened-waterways/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }