Polish Climate and Environment Ministry and National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management have announced 43 million złotys (9.6 million euros) for the removal of hazardous waste in a storage facility in Zielona Góra in western Poland (21 August).
Around 4,000 tons of hazardous waste will be removed during this process. The task is treated as a priority due to a water intake consisting of several wells supplied by groundwater located near the site. The potential release of hazardous substances and their infiltration into nearby wells could contaminate the main underground water reservoir which supplies the city and surrounding municipalities.
This threat had escalated following a fire incident at a chemical warehouse in the area last month, the Climate and Environment Ministry has said. As a result, the city applied to the President of the Public Procurement Office for approval to remove the storage facility through a direct procurement procedure.
“Thanks to significant funding and joint and quick actions, the process of removing hazardous toxic waste will be accelerated. The impact of abandoned hazardous waste on the environment will also be reduced through the implementation of other projects financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, involving the construction of thermal waste management installations,” said Dominik Bąk, Vice President of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
The project will last eight months and is expected to be finished in April next year.
