Invitation to the debate:
„Being wise about water”, or the future of the water and sewerage sector in Poland
1 April2014 (Tuesday), 11.00 hrs
“Polityka”, Słupecka 6 st., Warsaw
On behalf of the organiser, Procesy Inwestycyjne, we are pleased to invite you to a debate „Being wise about water”, or the future of the water and sewerage sector in Poland, which is being organised under the auspices of the Public Board for the Development of Low-Emission Economy. The debate will be held on Thursday, 6th March 2014, conference hall of the “Polityka” weekly magazine, Słupecka 6 st., Warsaw.
In Poland there are over 1.6 thousand water and sewerage companies. Experts thus emphasize the need for reasonable coordination or even consolidation of the sector’s companies with the aim to ensure the rational use of water resources, investment funds and existing infrastructure.
If Poland fails to modernize its water and sewerage systems and meet relevant EU standards by 2015, the EU may impose high penalties on the country. As a result of the costly investment projects, water prices may also increase significantly. The prices of water and sewerage services in Poland already differ greatly across the country, sometimes by as much as 1000%. The sector’s reform is necessary, particularly as the Authority for Competition and Consumer Protection, in its report of 2011, concluded that the location of a municipality in the centre of a regulated system, of which the municipality is an active member rather than just an arbitrator, makes the current system faulty. The existence of the municipalities’ right only (but not the obligation) to approve water and wastewater tariffs resulted in the fact that in more than 50 % of municipalities the tariffs were not approved.
According to experts on water and wastewater management, the 20th century was „the oil century” while the 21st century is going to be „the water century”. Fresh water resources in the world constitute only 2.5 % of the overall amount of water in the hydrosphere. The UNESCO World Water Development Report predicts that by 2025 the amount of water is going to decrease by 50 % in developing countries and by 18% in industrialized countries. Currently about 1 million people around the world live without permanent access to water, and 2.5 billion people do not have access to sanitary facilities. The costs of water and wastewater treatment are growing continuously and will continue to grow as the new obligations imposed on us, especially in the field of investment projects, require additional expenses.
In case of any questions concerning the conference and the session please contact Agnieszka Ferreira (Project Manager of Procesy Inwestycyjne), at: komunikacja@proinwestycje.pl, phone: 601774480.
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