Czech Prime Minister confirms Poland is complying with the Turów agreement

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Turów lignite coal mine. Picture by Bartłomiej Sawicki/BiznesAlert.pl
Turów lignite coal mine. Picture by Bartłomiej Sawicki/BiznesAlert.pl

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala confirmed that Poland was implementing the provisions of the agreement on the Turów mine. This is a response to claims by geologists that there are irregularities in the construction of the underground wall built to retain groundwaters. This is one of the measures stipulated in the agreement.

„Poland is fulfilling the agreement on the Turów mine,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in an interview with CTK news agency. He reacted to the information of the Czech Geological Survey (CGS) that despite the underground wall, groundwater still flows from the Czech Republic to the Polish mine.

The construction of the underground wall is one of the measures provided for in the agreement between the governments of the Czech Republic and Poland, signed in February last year. The Prime Minister believed the wall would be the best possible solution for the Czech Republic and people living near the border.

CGS director Zdenek Venera said on Monday that data from four wells monitoring the wall on the Polish side confirmed its functionality. The level in the nearest wells increased from 0.63 meters to 4.17 meters. However, on the Czech side, the water continues to recede.

„It was clear from the beginning that any positive impact of the underground sealing barrier on the territory of the Czech Republic would be delayed. Of course, we want to verify this with an updated hydrogeological model by June 2024,” Fiala said.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic assessed that Poland adheres to the agreement on mining in the Turów mine. He added that some organizations and individuals opposed the Czech-Polish agreement from the beginning, so it is not surprising that they are now trying to cancel it. This position is taken by environmental activists from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. From the beginning, they claimed that the wall was in the wrong place and would not prevent the outflow of water.

Polish Press Agency / Jędrzej Stachura