An email came to the editorial office expressing fear of another disaster.

– It will soon be a year since the flood, and no one responsible has addressed the problem of deepening and clearing the riverbed. This neglect will certainly not help in the event of another tragedy – writes a concerned resident of Trzebień.

Let us recall: in September 2024, during the flood, the residents of Trzebień, particularly those of Mostowa and Parkowa streets, experienced a drama. The Bóbr River overflowed in this section. The water destroyed homes, including appliances, furniture and clothing. Some residents were without electricity for an extended period. The picture of the disaster also includes hundreds of hectares of flooded farmland – crops and soil structure were largely destroyed, and access to the fields was severely restricted.

Nearly a year after the tragedy, the residents of Trzebień think fearfully about a rainy summer and anxiously read RCB alerts (the SMS notification system for informing the public about hazards), especially those warning of increased rainfall and possible flooding.

We asked Bolesławiec municipality whether it would take action to deepen and clear the riverbed after the flood, and whether such action was necessary at all.

In response, we were sent the position of Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie, which does not contain an answer to the question posed by the residents of Trzebień.

Below is the response from PGW Wody Polskie:

As a result of the flood wave in September 2024, the right-bank embankment was breached, among other places, in Golnice, Parkoszów and Trzebień, as well as the right-bank embankment in Trzebień. Priority repair works on the embankments are currently under way, including in Trzebień. The works include, among other things, reinforcing the crowns and slopes of the embankments, filling losses and compacting the embankment body.

Wody Polskie carries out maintenance work on rivers based on current needs, flood-risk assessments and available funding. Our priority is to ensure residents’ safety and maintain the flow capacity of watercourses while respecting nature.

Yours sincerely

The Communications and Water Education Team of Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie, Regional Water Management Board in Wrocław