Rybnik has been at the top of the European smog charts for years. During the heating season, there were days when the PM10 particle standards were exceeded by several thousand percent! According to the Polish Smog Alert Report, in 2019 it was ranked second among Polish cities in terms of average annual concentration of carcinogenic benzopyrene. In 2021, it fell to 10th place. It can be seen that the anti-smog policy is bearing fruit in Rybnik.
– In 2010, there were 134 days when PM10 standards were exceeded. Today is 44 days – said Rybnik Mayor Piotr Kuczera in Radio Piekary’s interview of the day.
In 3 years, more than 5,000 jobs have been lost in Rybnik. cinderellas
Mayor Kuczera pointed out that more than 5,000 jobs have been lost in Rybnik over the past three years. cinderellas. Currently, more than half of the kilns in the city are of the highest 5th class. In the city – as the mayor says – there is huge interest in heat pumps. Piotr Kuczera added that 2023 is a new fight against low emissions – in the city there are several thousand ovens over 10 years old to be replaced.
– It is a challenge, but I have the feeling that the critical mass has collapsed and the inhabitants see that it can be better. There is also such internal and friendly cheering. It’s much better. In the evening in Rybnik it is already possible to breathe, although one would like it to be even better – the president said on Radio Piekary.
The city guard of Rybnik carries out 70-100 inspections of furnaces per week, and – as the mayor of the city points out – only in 3-4 out of 100 cases there is a fine and a referral to court. – There has been a change of consciousness, although they are also very resistant. But they have a clear signal that there is no tolerance. Also, neighbors often say directly – we made an effort, and this gentleman does not want to and something needs to be done about it – noted Piotr Kuczera.
Transformation can bypass Rybnik
The President also spoke about the new Śląskie Voivodeship Transformation Fund. The fund’s budget for 2023-2033 should include… 800 million PLN. – At the scale of a city for 800 million PLN, several things could be done, but at the scale of the voivodship it is a symbolic amount. We are talking about billions of zlotys – stressed Piotr Kuczera.
The mayor of Rybnik added that the transformation process could bypass the city, because there are two mines operating there, which – according to the social contract – must be produced until 2049. He noted that the question of what we should transform ourselves into should be answered. He also stressed that it should be an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary one, so as not to make mistakes like years ago in Wałbrzych.
