“I would like to see as many small water reservoirs to be constructed as possible. Subsidies of up to PLN 5 thousand will be awarded for home stormwater or snowmelt retention systems under the “My Water” programme” - stressed Polish President Andrzej Duda.

As pointed out by Minister Michał Kurtyka, climate change has an additional negative impact on the availability of water and further increases its deficit in Poland.

“The “My Water” programme will enable to finance up to 20 thousand home retention installations. We estimate that home investments will help to retain 1 million cubic metres of stormwater at the rainfall areas, i.e. on private parcels. That means that one million cubic metres of particularly valuable water will cease to be a burden on the sewage system and reduce the risk of flooding in result of heavy rainfall” - informed the Minister of Climate.

Each owner of a single-family house will be eligible for a grant of up to PLN 5 thousand, while up to 80% of the costs incurred after June 1st of 2020 will be transferred by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management to the sixteen regional funds for environmental protection and water management which are located closer to the beneficiaries. Beginning in July of 2020, these regional institutions will start accepting applications lodged by single-family homeowners for the home water retention micro-installations.

The financial assistance will be provided for the purchase, installation and commissioning installations allowing to manage stormwater and snowmelt at the properties covered by the project, resulting in preventing these waters from being discharged, for instance, to household sewage systems, rainwater drainage systems, drainage ditches which direct the water away from the residential property to the neighbouring lands, streets, squares etc. The funding may be utilised towards stormwater drainage pipes (collected from drainpipes, ground-level and underground tank drains, ponds and drainage installations), ground-level and underground retention tank, pond, drainage installation and components used for irrigation or other use of the retained water.

The “My Water” programme will be implemented between 2020-2024, and the grant agreements will be signed until June 30th of 2024, while the funds will be disbursed until the end of 2024.

At the same time, the Ministry of Climate and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management are developing three additional measures related to water retention in rural and urban areas. The programmes will be aimed at local governments. These programmes mean an additional total sum of PLN 210 million to be put towards investments in water storage and retention.

The Ministry of Climate and the subordinate National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management wish to remind that the applications for financing the “water” projects under Norway Grants may be lodged until 17th August, which may involve, among others, implementing investments in green and blue infrastructure in cities. The budget of the measure amounts to PLN 100 million.

Another PLN 60 million under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme 2014-2020 was allocated to municipal governments for mitigating the issue of drought and minimising the risk of flooding during heavy rainfall. On 29th May of 2020, the National Fund announced a call for proposals for urban and urban-rural municipalities. Grants of up to 85% of eligible costs will be awarded under the programme.

Additionally, PLN 50 million from the national funds - under the modified priority programme of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management titled “Adaptation to Climate Change and Mitigating the Effects of Environmental Hazards” - was reserved for local government units for the implementation of measures related to water retention in rural areas. In this case, grants of up to 70% of eligible costs will be awarded. The National Fund will soon inform about the call for proposals.