Biznes Fakty
Ecological disaster on the Oder River. Failure of the water monitoring system run by the Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn.
In the aftermath of the ecological disaster on the Oder River in 2022, the PiS government initiated a water monitoring initiative costing PLN 250 million. Nevertheless, this effort proved to be a significant failure. The conclusions drawn by the weekly „Polityka” were substantiated by the Supreme Audit Office.
In the wake of the 2022 ecological catastrophe on the Oder River, which led to a widespread fish and mollusc die-off, the following year saw the PiS government establish a water monitoring initiative valued at PLN 250 million. This project was intended to be managed by the state-owned Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn. Findings from the Supreme Audit Office exposed various staffing discrepancies and poor investment choices.
Efforts to remove dead fish from the Odra River in Krajnik Dolny, August 2022. Marcin Bielecki / PAPMillions spent on a non-functional system
It was discovered that the Institute lacked the requisite expertise and personnel to execute this project. Additionally, „to secure subsequent installments of the 250 million grant, it falsely reported that the system was already partially functional, despite the fact that none of the measurement and control buoys were operational,” the weekly noted.
According to „Polityka,” by the end of June last year, merely 46 of the 325 planned devices were operational. Even at that time, not all of them were functional, as none provided data on water parameters. During this period, the Tusk government halted the project, but by that point, the Institute had already received PLN 52 million. The weekly highlights that each IRS buoy was priced at an average of PLN 106,000, in contrast to „a comparable PLN 30,000 in the free market.”
Dead fish in the oxbow lake of the Odra River. In Januszkowice (Opole Voivodeship), around 150 fish were discovered dead on Sunday in the so-called oxbow lake of the Odra River. Opole Voivode/FacebookExcessive salaries
The audit conducted by the Supreme Audit Office also unveiled the aforementioned staffing discrepancies.
„There were also irregularities in the hiring of the project manager (for PLN 1.5 million) and his deputy (for PLN 1.4 million), along with specialists (with as many as 12 earning more than the director, one earning twice as much). Some of them had previously worked for the IRS, thereby receiving a second salary,” „Polityka” remarked, referencing the Supreme Audit Office.
Moreover, discrepancies were identified in the leasing of properties in the capital and the acquisition of ponds.
A total of 51 irregularities were documented, resulting in a loss of PLN 5.6 million for the Institute. The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) announced intentions to forward the issue to the prosecutor’s office and the public finance discipline spokesperson.
