Wroclaw is the best Polish city in the field water management

See who else receives a prize for 2020

Wroclaw is the best metropolitan authority in Poland in the field of water management for 2020 – this was announced last week at the Open Eyes Economy Summit, that took place in Krakow. The city placed first in the most prestigious category of the Water City Index 2020 (WCI) ranking, prepared by experts with various backgrounds. Eight other local governments received distinction for the efficient ways they met challenges with water resource management.

Efficient management of water resources gains in importance

The WCI report is the first and so far, the only one that defines the strengths and weaknesses as well as the needs and challenges in the field of water resource management in Polish cities, summarizes the Association of Polish Cities. The authors of the report are academics from the University of Economics in Krakow, experts from Arcadis and the Foundation of Economy and Public Administration, which is the organizer of the international summit.

Together, the experts have analysed a total of 218 Polish cities within 4 areas and 14 categories:

• life (drinking water, brown water, infrastructure maintenance);
• culture and people (waterfront, blue and green infrastructure, harmonious urban space);
• risks (flood, shortage (drought), sector threat, rainwater, local government activity);
• economy and business (water for industry, business attractiveness, water transport).

For this first edition, a total of 9 statuettes were awarded - for metropolises, cities with powiat rights, and medium-sized cities. The full ranking and methodology are available online (in Polish) and the winners are respectively:

Metropolises:

1. Wroclaw
2. Bydgoszcz
3. Gdansk

Powiats (counties or districts):

1. Gliwice
2. Rzeszów
3. Świnoujście

Medium-sized cities:

1. Szczytno
2. Malbork
3. Mrągowo

Why reward effective water management?

The problems faced by cities in the world, including in Poland, increasingly relate to the issue of rational and effective use of water resources in conditions of increasingly noticeable water crises, reads the announcement. Floods and droughts as well as water pollution have long-term consequences.

Poland's water problems have been known for decades, but this sector has not enjoyed special attention from successive governments. The transformation taking place in cities, combined with climate change and the above-average population density, lead to consequences in various sectors of the economy and in water policy. That is why it is important to put on display the successful local-driven initiatives and achievements.