Multi-million-zloty flood defenses finally ready for use in Odra region

The Bukow polder, a man-made flood defense system, was completed near Raciborz in southern Poland yesterday at a cost of zl. 172 million. Hence, Raciborz is much better protected against the threat of flooding from the recently troublesome Odra river than it was several years ago. The investment is one of many elements of the long-term "Program for Odra 2006". Another essential element of the program is a construction several times bigger, the 2,600-hectare Raciborz Dolny polder, planned for the years 2004-2006 and estimated at zl. 600 million. Authorities of local gminas are confident the European Union and World Bank will support the infrastructural investments. Completion of all investments under the program will cost zl. 15 billion. Around 11% of this amount is to come from the state budget, 21% from National and Provincial Environmental Protection Funds, 2.5% are loans taken out by the state, almost 31% are EU funds and nearly 18% are the funds of local gminas situated near the Odra. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 4) M.T.