We wrote in August last year about the idea of Bolesławiec resident Jan Kunicki. The whole story began in 1979, when a flood hit Żuławy. Mr Jan, then an employee of the State Machine Centre, decided to help flood victims selflessly. – Seeing the drama of the residents of those areas, I came up with the idea of building a tractor-mounted pumping unit that could reach places where a fire engine would be unable to get – the inventor told us a year ago. – It is absurd for firefighters to drive out to pump water from a henhouse. It is a waste of money. The situation would look completely different if there were at least one such unit in every village.
Mr Jan tried to interest the POM in Bolesławiec in his idea, and later the Regional Club for Progress and Rationalisation in Agriculture, based in Poznań. Without success.
He returned to the matter in 1997, when another wave of flooding swept across Poland. He knew that he could help. He informed the government plenipotentiary for removing the effects of flooding about his concept. There was no response.
As the inventor says, floods have occurred, are occurring and will continue to occur. Last year, Mr Jan helped a family in Chmielno. They experienced one inundation at night, cleaned the house, and the next day another wave came. Within two or three minutes, the water rose by 10 cm. – Pouring it out with a bucket in such a situation is not very effective. And yet we can be better prepared to fight floods – the Bolesławiec resident points out.
Mr Jan’s tractor-mounted pumping unit has many advantages: it is inexpensive, easy to operate and efficient. It fits any tractor. According to the inventor, the solution is intended directly for farmers and municipal services companies.
Seeing the officials’ inertia, Mr Jan built a prototype of the pumping unit himself in 2000. The invention was first started up on the grounds of the State Fire Service unit in Bolesławiec. The unit received a positive opinion from the Scientific and Research Centre for Fire Protection in Józefów near Otwock. The press wrote extensively about the Bolesławiec inventor. It seemed that this time someone would take an interest in the pump. However, things turned out differently. All provincial Crisis Management Departments received the relevant letters; of the sixteen, only three replied. What is more, local governments and the Sejm completely disregarded the matter.
Mr Jan gave his word that he would help flood victims. And he kept it. In 2009, he donated his invention to the Żórawina commune (Wrocław County). That same year, he received thanks from commune head Jan Żukowski, who wrote: “The Żórawina Commune Office would like to sincerely thank Mr Jan Kunicki for the assistance provided during the flooding […]. The loaned water-pumping equipment became an additional force in the fight against the dangerous natural disaster. The simple construction and ease of operation of the pumping unit make it a widely used device for removing the effects of flooding and more.”
Almost a year has passed since we published our article “A Bolesławiec resident with an idea for fighting floods.” There is still no response to Mr Jan’s appeal. – The provincial office, the marshal’s office and even Warsaw know about the matter – the inventor tells us today, with regret in his voice. – None of the officials has taken up the issue, while one disaster follows another.
Mr Jan quotes a passage from an article in “Istotne Informacje” (issue 27), which says that during last year’s flooding in Lwówek County, help from the local fire service did not always arrive on time because of the number of incidents. – We have a simple and inexpensive solution to this situation. The trouble is that nobody wants to take an interest in it. This is officials’ inertia in all its glory – the Bolesławiec resident states.
If anyone is interested in Mr Jan’s concept, they can contact the inventor through the editorial office of the Istotne.pl website.
(ii information)