The conditions of the water sector in Poland
The aim of this article was to identify and assess the conditions of the water sector in Poland. The author has distinguished global and direct conditions of the water sector. What has been emphasised among the global conditions was a different structure and dynamics of water needs in developing cou...
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irk-123456789-1149002017-03-20T03:02:16Z The conditions of the water sector in Poland Lis, P. International and Regional Economics The aim of this article was to identify and assess the conditions of the water sector in Poland. The author has distinguished global and direct conditions of the water sector. What has been emphasised among the global conditions was a different structure and dynamics of water needs in developing countries and in developed countries. It has been assumed that the global Sustainable Development Goals formulated in 2015 focus primarily on the issue of fresh water availability rather than the issue of water quality. Nonetheless, the latter aspect is reflected in the European Union water policy and in state regulations. According to the author, adapting water service enterprises to more and more complicated regulations, requiring increasingly large financial resources, will constitute a major threat for the development of the exceptionally fragmented water sector in Poland. This sector is made up of water service enterprises, the majority of which administer small networks of distribution. This threat will be strengthened by a decreasing - in the long term - demand for fresh water, given rather small water resources in Poland. Additionally, it has been assessed that the pace of the growth of water network infrastructure was faster than the pace of an increase in the access to the public water distribution network. The author has also highlighted the danger for the water sector stemming from a scattered structure of residential developments, which came as a result of poor land management. Apart from this, the author believes that it is crucial to improve the operational efficiency of the water sector, in particular by optimising possessed property, improving water quality and customer services, as well as conforming to the EU regulations in terms of risk assessment. У статті визначено та оцінено умови водного сектора в Польщі. Проаналізовано глобальні та прямі умови водного сектора в контексті розгляду структури і динаміки споживання води в країнах з економікою, що розвивається, і розвиненою економікою. Розглянуто пріоритетність питань наявності прісної води та її якості. Обґрунтовано інвестування проектів підвищення якості прісної води для споживачів з точки зору сталого розвитку та оцінки ризику порівняно з альтернативними підходами у вирішенні розглянутих проблем. Дано рекомендації щодо напрямків розвитку водного сектора на прикладі Польщі, що враховують інтереси підприємств, що працюють в секторі водопостачання. В статье определены и оценены условия водного сектора в Польше. Проанализированы глобальные и прямые условия водного сектора в контексте рассмотрения структуры и динамики потребления воды в странах с развивающейся и развитой экономикой. Рассмотрена приоритетность вопросов наличия пресной воды и ее качества. Обосновано инвестирование проектов повышения качества пресной воды для потребителей с точки зрения устойчивого развития и оценки риска в сравнении с альтернативными подходами в решении рассматриваемых проблем. Даны рекомендации относительно направлений развития водного сектора на примере Польши, учитывающие интересы предприятий, работающих в секторе водообеспечения. 2016 Article The conditions of the water sector in Poland / P. Lis // Економічний вісник Донбасу. — 2016. — № 4 (46). — С. 56–61. — Бібліогр.: 15 назв. — англ. 1817-3772 http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/114900 628.171(438) en Економічний вісник Донбасу Інститут економіки промисловості НАН України |
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International and Regional Economics International and Regional Economics |
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International and Regional Economics International and Regional Economics Lis, P. The conditions of the water sector in Poland Економічний вісник Донбасу |
| description |
The aim of this article was to identify and assess the conditions of the water sector in Poland. The author has distinguished global and direct conditions of the water sector. What has been emphasised among the global conditions was a different structure and dynamics of water needs in developing countries and in developed countries. It has been assumed that the global Sustainable Development Goals formulated in 2015 focus primarily on the issue of fresh water availability rather than the issue of water quality. Nonetheless, the latter aspect is reflected in the European Union water policy and in state regulations. According to the author, adapting water service enterprises to more and more complicated regulations, requiring increasingly large financial resources, will constitute a major threat for the development of the exceptionally fragmented water sector in Poland. This sector is made up of water service enterprises, the majority of which administer small networks of distribution. This threat will be strengthened by a decreasing - in the long term - demand for fresh water, given rather small water resources in Poland. Additionally, it has been assessed that the pace of the growth of water network infrastructure was faster than the pace of an increase in the access to the public water distribution network. The author has also highlighted the danger for the water sector stemming from a scattered structure of residential developments, which came as a result of poor land management. Apart from this, the author believes that it is crucial to improve the operational efficiency of the water sector, in particular by optimising possessed property, improving water quality and customer services, as well as conforming to the EU regulations in terms of risk assessment. |
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Article |
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Lis, P. |
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Lis, P. |
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Lis, P. |
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The conditions of the water sector in Poland |
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The conditions of the water sector in Poland |
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The conditions of the water sector in Poland |
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The conditions of the water sector in Poland |
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The conditions of the water sector in Poland |
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conditions of the water sector in poland |
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Інститут економіки промисловості НАН України |
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2016 |
| topic_facet |
International and Regional Economics |
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http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/114900 |
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The conditions of the water sector in Poland / P. Lis // Економічний вісник Донбасу. — 2016. — № 4 (46). — С. 56–61. — Бібліогр.: 15 назв. — англ. |
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P. Lis
56
Економічний вісник Донбасу № 4(46), 2016
UDC 628.171(438)
P. Lis,
DrHab (Economscs),
Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland
THE CONDITIONS OF THE WATER SECTOR IN POLAND
1. Introduction
Water is the main source of life for all organisms
on earth. According to the preamble of the EU Water
Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), “water in not a
commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage
which must be protected, defended and treated as such”
[Cf. Arabska 2016, p. 16].
The aim of this article is to identify and assess
the conditions of the water sector in Poland. The au-
thor has used a comparative analysis, drawing on the
data of the OECD, Eurostat and national statistical of-
fices. Furthermore, this work refers to and constitutes a
continuation of the author’s previous studies, including
those conducted within an international research project
FESSUD [Lis 2015, 2016].
Poland ranks among the countries with relatively
scarce water resources. The annual stock of freshwater
amounts to 1600 m3 per 1 inhabitant, while in most Eu-
ropean countries this stock is approximately 5000 m3
per 1 inhabitant. Furthermore, surface water resources
in Poland are characterized by great temporal and terri-
torial changeability. Consequently, there are temporary
surpluses and deficits of water in rivers. Storage reser-
voirs can compensate for this changeability only to
some degree, due to the fact that the total capacity of
these reservoirs does not exceed 6% of an annual vol-
ume of water drainage from the county area. The main
source of water supply is surface water. The water col-
lected from rivers and lakes cover over 84% of needs.
Underground water resources are used primarily to sup-
ply the inhabitants with drinking water [See more in
GUS 2016, p. 33).
Between 2000-2012 there were substantial invest-
ments in the technical infrastructure connected with the
water sector. In that period, the water and sewage net-
work was extended, obsolete and inefficient infrastruc-
ture was eliminated from use, new sewage treatment
plants were built and the existing ones were modernised,
devices used for the reduction of the pollutant load in
sewage were installed. In the years 2000-2012, the num-
ber of cities with sewage treatment plants increased by
102 from the level in 2000 (69% of total population had
access to sewage treatment plants). The water supply
network grew three fold in that period and amounted to
283 thousand km in 2012. It shall be noticed at this point
that such an investment scale would not be possible
without the financial support from gminas – the owners
of water and sewage service enterprises (from 15 to 30%
of the investment value), financial means from the
state’s budget (from 10 to 20%), funds from the Euro-
pean Union (from 10 to 25%), as well as the resources
from ecological funds (from 10 to 20%) and bank loans
(up to 10%).
The vast majority of Polish people, i.e. 88% of total
population in 2013, use the water supply network (See
more in GUS 2016, p. 473). The largest share of water
consumption belonged to the industry sector, accounting
for over three-quarters of total consumption. Konin has
the largest water consumption, being one of the main
lignite coal fields and having a complex of power plants.
The largest water consumption by households is in War-
saw, i.e. the city with a largest number of inhabitants
(over 1.7 million people). It shall be noted, however,
that water consumption decreased systematically in
2000-2013. This reduction in consumption results above
all from the fact that measuring devices (water meters)
were installed, less water was lost during distribution,
water prices increased, house water devices were mod-
ernised and the users began to show a saving approach
to water consumption.
Collective water supply is provided by water and
sewage service enterprises, the number of which is ap-
proximately 1800 in Poland. A comprehensive analysis
of this sector is extremely difficult, due to the lack of
detailed statistical data concerning all of these enter-
prises. Moreover, the sector of water and sewage ser-
vices is very fragmented and consists of a number of
supply regions (local markets) on the area of one or
more gminas.
2. Characteristics of the water sector in Poland
In Poland, the roles of collective water supply and
collective sewage discharge, as well as other issues con-
nected with water and sewage networks, belong to gmi-
nas. These services constitute gminas’ own tasks and are
part of municipal utilities management, which encom-
passes in particular public utilities tasks aiming at cur-
rent and uninterrupted fulfilment of collective needs of
inhabitants by providing commonly available services.
A vast majority of gminas, the total number of
which amounts to 2479 in Poland, commission water
and sewage service enterprises to provide collective wa-
ter supply. These enterprises, which have a very frag-
mented structure – over 1800 entities, play a monopolis-
tic role in a given gmina or a few gminas together. They
operate as commercial companies and partnerships
(38%), budgetary establishments and auxiliary enter-
prises (30%), water companies (16%), natural persons
running business activities (13%) and other legal forms,
such as: civil law partnerships, state-owned enterprises,
P. Lis
57
Економічний вісник Донбасу № 4(46), 2016
cooperatives (3%). Besides such a fragmented structure
of the water sector and a variety of legal forms of con-
ducting activities in this area, there has been considera-
ble improvement over the last two decades with regard
to the water and sewage networks infrastructure. In the
years 1989 – 2015, the water system network expanded
over three times, obsolete and inefficient facilities were
excluded from exploitation, new sewage treatment plans
were built and the existing ones were modernised, and
finally, devices for reducing the load of pollution in sew-
age were installed.
The majority of Polish people, almost 88% of total
population, use the water supply network [GUS 2016].
The largest share of water consumption belonged to the
industry sector, accounting for over three-quarters of to-
tal consumption. When it comes to particular towns and
cities, Konin – being one of the main lignite coal fields
and having a complex of power plants – has the largest
water consumption, whereas Warsaw - the city with a
largest number of inhabitants (over 1.7 million people)
– has the largest water consumption per household.
The development of the water and sewage network
infrastructure was possible owing to subsidies for the re-
alisation of infrastructural investments under EU pre-ac-
cession and post-accession programmes (after May 1,
2004), with significant support from gminas, central au-
thorities (Ministry of Environment, National Water
Management Authority) and the National Fund for En-
vironmental Protection and Water Management.
Of key importance in the water sector is the process
of establishing tariffs for collective water supply and
collective sewage discharge. What causes highest
doubts in this process is a dual nature of gminas, being
both the owners and regulators (authorising tariffs) of
water service enterprises. An average gross price of wa-
ter for households amounted to 4.12 PLN/ m3 (i.e. 0.93
euro, with an average NBP exchange rate of 30 Decem-
ber 2016 amounting to 4.4240 PLN/EUR) in a tariff for
2016, with a growing trend compared to previous years,
and a minimum price of 1.80 PLN/m3 (i.e. 0.41 euro)
and maximum price of 23.92 PLN/m3 (i.e. 5.41 euros)
[cena-wody.pl, 30.12.2016]. The price of water is very
diverse, incomparably more diverse than the price of
electricity or gas supply. According to Tadeusz
Rzepecki, the President of the Council of “Wodociągi
Polskie” Chamber of Commerce and President of Tar-
nowskie Wodociągi sp. z o.o.:
“the differences in water prices stem mainly from
the necessity to treat water. The cost of purifying abys-
sal water differs from that of surface water. The quality
of the former is also different; for example, the town of
Kielce is supplied with water which comes from lime-
stone, which makes it practically ready for consumption,
whereas the city of Bydgoszcz, which takes water from
the Brda River, has to treat water due to substantial
quantities of iron and manganese”.
The differentiation of water prices is also influ-
enced by considerable expenditures of some water ser-
vice enterprises on the development and modernisation
of the water supply network in particular areas of the
country. In the areas where enterprises did not have to
carry out a costly extension of the network, the costs
were relatively low, and in turn the price for a m3 of wa-
ter was low as well. According to Dorota Jakuta, the
President of “Wodociągi Polskie” Chamber of Com-
merce:
„Growths in prices result from using new infra-
structure of high value compared to the previous one. In
accordance with the provisions of the “tariff” regula-
tion, a price should also include risk. It is necessary for
future investments. Finishing the modernisation of wa-
ter and sewage system and fulfilling the European water
purity norms – both the water we drink and the one that
flows out of the treatment plant – causes growths in
prices. Poland has a chance, thanks to the undertakings
it gives, to improve the quality of surface waters, and
especially those taken as sources of drinking water.”
[Jakuta 2014].
The water and sewage service sector in Poland is
characterised by generally low profitability, with main-
tained financial liquidity. Enterprises finance their ac-
tivities primarily with their own capital. Foreign capital
is mainly the means obtained from the European Union
funds, with a relatively low share of commercial loans.
In general, the owners of water and sewage service en-
terprises (usually one gmina, less frequently a few gmi-
nas together) realise among all the goal associated with
providing the capacity to purchase water possibly to all
the recipients in a given gmina [Lis 2015]. The goals
connected with expanding the accessibility to the water
and sewage networks and with the protection of the nat-
ural environment seem to be realised, as long as they do
not disturb the realisation of the demand-related goal.
Furthermore, the role of the political factor shall also be
highlighted, which results from the fact that gminas
serve as owners in this sector.
Polish water service enterprises, despite a small
scale of their activities, improve the already high quality
of drinking water. Taking into consideration the require-
ments laid down in the Regulation of the Minister of
Health of 13 November 2015 on the quality of water for
human consumption (Journal of Laws of 201, item
1989), it shall be highlighted that 99% of the population
using the collective water supply, had an access to water
which was compatible with this regulation. By contrast,
in 2006 it was approximately 93% of the population
[Hudzik 2016, p. 22].
3. Global conditions of the water sector in Po-
land
The needs connected with an access to water in the
contemporary world are likely to grow dynamically, es-
pecially in the regions of Southern and Northern Africa,
P. Lis
58
Економічний вісник Донбасу № 4(46), 2016
Southern and Central Asia and Southern America. In de-
veloped countries, on the other hand, including the Eu-
ropean Union countries, they are going to decrease dra-
matically [OECD Highlights 2012, p. 4]. Taking into
consideration these two divergent trends, the OECD
[2012] anticipates a growth in the global demand for wa-
ter of 55% in 2050, in comparison to the year 2000.
Thus, some problems with drinking water will concern
approximately 40% of the world’s population.
The needs to have an access to fresh water are gen-
erated mainly by farming, energy production, consump-
tion of households and industrial production. That is
why there are such discrepant trends in developing and
developed countries. When it comes to developing
countries, farming constitutes a crucial and relatively
low-efficient branch of the economy, with a considera-
ble share of industrial production strengthened by
cheaper labour force. The other group of countries is
characterised by higher water consumption, which is
largely generated by energy producers in the process of
cooling [OECD 2012, pp. 208-209].
The matter of water quality around the world refers
to two groups of countries: the developing and devel-
oped ones. A problem in the first group is excessive ex-
ploitation of ground waters, pollution of surface and
ground waters by agriculture and unsewered waste [Re-
port… 1987, OECD 2012, Water… 2016]. The other
group faces some problems associated with so-far un-
monitored pollution (medicine, steroids, hormones, per-
sonal protective equipment, disinfectants, surfactants,
petrol additives) [Bochnia 2016, p. 23].
The main factors which have an influence on the
demand for fresh water and its quality from a global per-
spective may include: a) variables connected with hu-
man activity, b) variables connected with the environ-
ment. Among the key variables connected with human
activity there are the demographic factors1, urbanisa-
tion, increase in income and economic activity. In turn,
the main variables associated with the environment
might be climate changes, including an increase in tem-
peratures around the world, and atmospheric phenom-
ena, such as floods and droughts.
The subject matter of functioning of the water sec-
tor is one of the areas of sustainable development. It is
understood as a process of transformations which en-
sures fulfilling the needs of the contemporary generation
without diminishing the development chances for future
generations, in particular owing to the actions focused
on economic and social development, as well as in terms
of the environment [Raport… 1987]. The Sustainable
Development Goals have been included in the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, passed on 25
September, 2015 in New York. The basis for this con-
ception were the Millennium Sustainable Development
Goals, which had been partly realised by 2015.
1 The demand for water grows twice as fast as the population growth [OECD, 2012, p. 214].
The Sustainable Development Goal no. 6 is to en-
sure availability and sustainable management of water
and sanitation. Detailed tasks were formulated within
this goal, which the author have divided into three
groups. The first group is dominated by the tasks asso-
ciated with the availability of the water system network
and those which indirectly touch upon the issue of the
capacity to purchase water by all citizens, and in partic-
ular, ensuring by 2030 common and equal access to safe
drinking water, obtaining by 2030 access to adequate
sanitation conditions for all people and increasing by
2030 the efficiency of water usage in all sectors, and sig-
nificantly reducing the number of people suffering from
water deficiency. The second group concerns the issue
of water quality, and in particular improving by 2030 the
quality of drinking water by decreasing the level of pol-
lution with chemical substances, decreasing by a half the
amount of untreated sewage and increasing the signifi-
cance of recycling, as well as protecting and restoring
by 2020 the ecosystems connected with water. The third
group of tasks focuses above all on the management of
water resources, including implementing by 2030 inte-
grated management of water resources on all levels, also
thanks to cross-border cooperation, expanding coopera-
tion and building the ability of international support for
developing countries in terms of actions and pro-
grammes associated with water and sanitation, as well
as other related ones, including obtaining and desalinat-
ing water, water efficiency, sewage treatment, recycling
and technologies of water reuse, supporting and
strengthening the share of local communities in improv-
ing water and sanitation management.
4. Direct conditions of the water sector in Po-
land
Fresh water resources in a given country result
from its climate conditions, geomorphology, land use or
cross-border water inflows. In absolute values, France,
Germany and Sweden have the greatest resources of
drinking water, whereas Hungary, Bulgaria and the
Netherlands have the greatest cross-border inflows of
drinking water. Based on the estimates per 1 inhabitant,
the greatest resources of fresh water belong to Croatia,
Finland and Sweden (over 19000 m3 per inhabitant),
whereas the smallest resources of fresh water are found
in Malta, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Poland (less
than 1700 m3 per inhabitant). The stock of fresh water
in Poland amounts to slightly more than 1600 m3 per in-
habitant, while the median for the EU-28 states equals
6008 m3 per inhabitant. Additionally, the stock of sur-
face waters in Poland is characterised by high temporal
and territorial changeability. Consequently, there occur
temporary surpluses and deficits of water in rivers. Stor-
age reservoirs amortise this changeability only to some
degree. Their total capacity does not exceed 6% of the
P. Lis
59
Економічний вісник Донбасу № 4(46), 2016
capacity of an annual outflow of waters from the area of
the country. The main sources of water supply are sur-
face waters. Water taken from rivers and lakes cover
over 84% of needs. Exploitative resources of subsoil
waters are used mainly to provide the inhabitants with
drinking water. The above data indicate clearly that
there is a need to manage water resources very carefully
in Poland, and to monitor and influence the key factors
shaping the demand for water.
The above-presented stock of drinking water in the
European Union member states shall be complemented
with the demand side. In the years 1990-2014 there oc-
curred a considerable decrease in the consumption of
fresh water in m3 per inhabitant. The fresh water con-
sumption median in m3 per inhabitant in the EU-28
states amounted to 511 m3 in 1990, while in 2013 it was
already only 226 m3. It means that there occurred a dou-
ble decrease in water consumption within the period in
question. The largest reductions in water consumption
in m3 in the years 1990-2014 took place in Slovakia
(four times smaller water consumption), in the Czech
Republic and in Germany (two times smaller water con-
sumption). In Poland, water consumption decreased
from 399 m3 per inhabitant in 1990 to 297 m3 in 2014.
In the structure of fresh water consumption in the
European Union member states, with a division into ag-
riculture, industrial production, energy production and
publicly available distribution networks, a predominant
role is played by water consumption for the purpose of
energy production. It constitutes more than a half of
fresh water consumption. This water is used for cooling
in energy production processes. In Germany and the
Czech Republic about a quarter in the structure of fresh
water consumption is dedicated to industrial production,
whereas in Poland and Hungary it is only a few percent.
This result partly reflects diverse potential of industrial
production in specified countries and different techno-
logical advancement when it comes to energy produc-
tion.
Annual water consumption in publicly available
distribution networks in m3 per inhabitant, irrespective
of the system – private or public, equalled in 2013 from
33 m3 per inhabitant in Malta to 159 m3 per inhabitant
in Italy. The median for the EU-28 states amounted to
76 m3 per inhabitant. In Poland this value was below the
median and amounted to 52 m3 per inhabitant. It means
that water consumption by publicly available distribu-
tion networks, i.e. by households, is in Poland clearly
optimised, which cannot be noticed in the case of energy
production.
The access of the population to public water distri-
bution networks in the European Union countries is very
high, with the median amounting in 2013 to 96% for the
EU-28 member states. In Poland this index was much
below the average and equalled 88% in 2013, 85.8% in
2004, compared to 72% in 1990.
In Poland, similarly to the Czech Republic, Slo-
vakia, Estonia, Latvia and Romania, the significant
backlog in the area of water infrastructure was caught
up for in the period of economic transformation. Ac-
cording to the author, a growth in the water system in-
frastructure in Poland is not as effective as in the case
of other countries which invest in water system in-
frastructure, in a sense that there occurs a very high
increase in the length of the water system network,
yet without a significant increase in the population
which has been connected to the network. The main
reason for the lack of effectiveness of this kind of in-
vestments is excessive fragmentation of residential
buildings on scarcely populated areas, including a mass
change of land specification in local development plans,
from agricultural functions to housing functions. Kow-
alewski et al. [2014] estimate that an average of 6-7% of
the country’s area included in local development plans
faced a change in its specification from agricultural to
non-agricultural. Excessively large areas were intended
for housing in local development plans, which many a
time exceeded several times the economic needs and
possibilities of gminas [Kowalewski et al., 2014]. They
made it possible to populate 62 million people across the
entire country, following the state at the end of 2012. In
a number of gminas, the studies of conditions and direc-
tions of spatial management and local spatial develop-
ment plans allocate for construction the areas whose de-
mographic absorbency exceeds even ten times the num-
ber of gmina’s inhabitants, causing spatial chaos and a
waste of space and capital [Kowalewski et al., 2014].
Consequently, there occurred a necessity to build new
water system networks, which increased insufficiently
the number of connections to the network for local com-
munities. Furthermore, there is a political factor, which
results to some extent from the ownership structure of
water and sewage service enterprises.
Among the main reasons for such a considerable
drop in water consumption in the EU member states, but
also the differences in the conditions of water consump-
tion, there is the price factor – tariffs which determine
water prices, and consequently shape the economical at-
titudes of households, demographic processes, transfers
of more intensive (in terms of resources) branches of in-
dustry outside Europe, reduction in water-consumption
of industry, more efficient use of water in the process of
cooling during energy production, reduction of losses in
water distribution, efficient farming techniques and in-
stalling measuring devices (water meters), modernisa-
tion of water devices in houses and flats.
5. The main challenges of the water sector in Po-
land
Water service enterprises are extremely frag-
mented in Poland. Most of them serve as owners of
small water system networks. The realisation of infra-
structural investments by these enterprises is possible
P. Lis
60
Економічний вісник Донбасу № 4(46), 2016
owing to direct or indirect funds from the European Un-
ion. In the face of the global trends associated with de-
creasing consumption of water in developed countries,
a necessity to expand the access of local communities to
water system infrastructure as well as very ambitious
goals and tasks specified in the conception of sustaina-
ble development, with considerable fragmentation of
residential development areas in Poland, the domestic
water sector faces a great challenge for further develop-
ment.
New requirements will be put on water service en-
terprises, including domestic, European and interna-
tional regulations associated among all with water qual-
ity, system security, reduction of odour inconveniences
and other negative external effects generated by the wa-
ter sector. For instance, the European Committee
adopted, following the guidelines from the World
Health Organisation (WHO), Directive 2015/1787 of 6
October 2015 amending Council Directive 98/83/EC on
the quality of water intended for human consumption.
An important change introduced by this directive in-
cludes the possibility (not (yet) obligation) to draw up
Plans for Water Health Security (PBZW) [Hudzik 2016,
p. 22]. This document is said to encompass the assess-
ment of threats for water supply systems, establishing
critical points, finding the weak points and gaps, con-
ducting a risk analysis, as well as the elimination of the
threats. PBZW constitutes a strategic program of
changes in the area of the functioning of an enterprise
within the scope of self-improvement and an incessant
concern for water health security [Arabska 2016]. Ac-
cording to Agnieszka Arabska, the head of the Service
of Water Production and Sewage Treatment at Aquanet
Poznan [2016, p. 19]: ”changes do not concern so much
the processes themselves as they refer to the awareness
and mentality of the participants who are directly en-
gaged in the process as well as all the employees of a
given enterprise, including the administrative employ-
ees and the management”.
In the face of a decreasing trend of water consump-
tion in Poland, water service enterprises will have to im-
prove their operational efficiency, in particular their or-
ganisational ability, efficient property management,
business expenditure optimisation, with secure manage-
ment of accounting liquidity and improving the quality
of customer services [Cf. Deloitte 2016].
As a result of growing urbanisation, it is important
that organisations in the water sector have a strong in-
fluence on government and local authorities in terms of
correcting the system of spatial planning and in localis-
ing new industrial, service and housing investments. Of
key importance here are actions taken in order to reduce
the disruptions of the natural circulation of water, in-
cluding abiding by the rules concerning the share of un-
hardened surfaces on investment areas, a larger share of
green areas, revitalisation of riverside areas [Lorek
2014]. Additionally, it is crucial to reduce the fragmen-
tation of single-family residential housing, which has a
very negative effect on the costs of functioning of water
service enterprises.
6. Summary
The aim of this article was to identify and assess
the conditions of the water sector in Poland. A large dis-
crepancy has been noticed in water-related needs be-
tween developing and well-developed countries. These
needs ale likely to grown in the former group, whereas
in the latter – including Poland, they will gradually di-
minish until they reach a stability point. The decisions
concerning the consumption of fresh water must be care-
fully taken in Poland, since the country does not possess
large resources of fresh water. Unfortunately, the pre-
dominant role in the structure of water consumption is
played by energy production, which in Poland is based
on coal, and is very water-consuming at the same time.
Besides, the author has indicated that unreasonable spa-
tial management in Poland has led to the problem of an
increase in the length of water system networks, with an
insufficient growth in the population’s access to these
networks. The Sustainable Development Goals formu-
lated for the water sector, i.e. specified tasks which are
reflected in the European Union regulations and national
laws and regulations, will constitute a serious challenge
for the extremely fragmented water sector, which con-
sists of water service enterprises, the majority of which
administer small distribution networks. Supporting the
operation of these enterprises with the EU funds, espe-
cially in terms of financing the water system infrastruc-
ture, will amortise the influence of the global and Euro-
pean trends and conditions. It is important for water ser-
vice enterprises to take a maximum advantage of the pe-
riod up to 2020 and improve their operational efficiency,
in particular by optimising possessed property, improv-
ing the quality of water, improving customer service,
and complying with the EU regulations in terms of risk
assessment. Only by fulfilling these conditions will it be
possible to reduce the process of consolidation, and sub-
sequent privatisation of the water sector in Poland.
References
1. Arabska, A., 2016, Plan bezpieczeństwa zdro-
wotnego wody w Aqanecie, Wodociągi-Kanalizacja, Nr
2(144)/2016, p. 16-19. 2. Bochnia, T., 2016, Bez-
pieczeństwo krakowskiego system zaopatrzenia w
wodę, Wodociągi-Kanalizacja, Nr 2(144)/2016, p. 20-
23. 3. Bogdanowicz, M., 2016, Liczba przedsiębiorstw
z działu Pobór, uzdatnianie i dostarczanie wody w
Polsce, Izba Gospodarcza „Wodociągi Polskie”,
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jakości wody, Wodociągi-Kanalizacja, Nr 4(146)/2016,
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Ліс П. Умови водного сектора в Польщі
У статті визначено та оцінено умови водного
сектора в Польщі. Проаналізовано глобальні та
прямі умови водного сектора в контексті розгляду
структури і динаміки споживання води в країнах з
економікою, що розвивається, і розвиненою еконо-
мікою. Розглянуто пріоритетність питань наявності
прісної води та її якості. Обґрунтовано інвестування
проектів підвищення якості прісної води для спожи-
вачів з точки зору сталого розвитку та оцінки ризику
порівняно з альтернативними підходами у вирі-
шенні розглянутих проблем. Дано рекомендації
щодо напрямків розвитку водного сектора на прик-
ладі Польщі, що враховують інтереси підприємств,
що працюють в секторі водопостачання.
Ключові слова: вода, водне господарство, вод-
ний сектор, підприємства водопостачання, водопо-
стачання і каналізація, умови розвитку сектора во-
дозабезпечення.
Лис П. Условия водного сектора в Польше
В статье определены и оценены условия вод-
ного сектора в Польше. Проанализированы глобаль-
ные и прямые условия водного сектора в контексте
рассмотрения структуры и динамики потребления
воды в странах с развивающейся и развитой эконо-
микой. Рассмотрена приоритетность вопросов нали-
чия пресной воды и ее качества. Обосновано инве-
стирование проектов повышения качества пресной
воды для потребителей с точки зрения устойчивого
развития и оценки риска в сравнении с альтернатив-
ными подходами в решении рассматриваемых
проблем. Даны рекомендации относительно направ-
лений развития водного сектора на примере
Польши, учитывающие интересы предприятий, ра-
ботающих в секторе водообеспечения.
Ключевые слова: вода, водное хозяйство, вод-
ный сектор, предприятия водообеспечения, водо-
снабжение и канализация, условия развития сектора
водообеспечения.
Lis P. The Conditions of the Water Sector in Po-
land
The aim of this article was to identify and assess
the conditions of the water sector in Poland. The author
has distinguished global and direct conditions of the wa-
ter sector. What has been emphasised among the global
conditions was a different structure and dynamics of wa-
ter needs in developing countries and in developed
countries. It has been assumed that the global Sustaina-
ble Development Goals formulated in 2015 focus pri-
marily on the issue of fresh water availability rather than
the issue of water quality. Nonetheless, the latter aspect
is reflected in the European Union water policy and in
state regulations. According to the author, adapting wa-
ter service enterprises to more and more complicated
regulations, requiring increasingly large financial re-
sources, will constitute a major threat for the develop-
ment of the exceptionally fragmented water sector in Po-
land. This sector is made up of water service enterprises,
the majority of which administer small networks of dis-
tribution. This threat will be strengthened by a decreas-
ing – in the long term – demand for fresh water, given
rather small water resources in Poland. Additionally, it
has been assessed that the pace of the growth of water
network infrastructure was faster than the pace of an in-
crease in the access to the public water distribution net-
work. The author has also highlighted the danger for the
water sector stemming from a scattered structure of res-
idential developments, which came as a result of poor
land management. Apart from this, the author believes
that it is crucial to improve the operational efficiency of
the water sector, in particular by optimising possessed
property, improving water quality and customer ser-
vices, as well as conforming to the EU regulations in
terms of risk assessment.
Keywords: water, water sector, water and sewage
service companies, water sector conditions.
Received by the editors: 02.11.2016
and final form 28.12.2016
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