Global water resources
Classification of surface waters:
- I (blue) – very good ecological status or maximum ecological potential
- II (green) – good ecological status or good ecological potential
- III (yellow) – moderate ecological status or moderate ecological potential
- IV (orange) – poor ecological status or poor ecological potential
- V (red) – poor ecological status or poor ecological potential
- 1.2 billion people worldwide have limited access to water
- Every 15 seconds, a child dies from water-related illnesses
- 55% – that is how much the demand for drinking water will increase by 2050.
- 40% of the Earth’s land area has limited access to drinking water – deserts and arid regions
- The state of the world’s water resources is deteriorating due to urbanisation, industrial and agricultural development, andpopulation growth
sources: inzynieria.com oraz www.gov.pl oraz klimatwszkolach.pl
Stan wody w Europie
- Every year, around 247,000 million cubic metres of water are abstracted from groundwater and surface water sources (streams, rivers and lakes) in the European Union.
- Most of the water abstracted (44%) is used for cooling in energy production processes. The majority of this water is returned to rivers.
- Food production and agriculture account for as much as 24% of extracted water resources. In southern regions, this figure can be as high as 80%.
- 15% of the water extracted is used in industry, whilst 17% is consumed by public water supply networks (households, public sector institutions and small businesses).
- Around half of the water used in manufacturing goes to the chemical sector, with the remainder going to the metal, paper and food processing industries.
The state of water in Poland
Sources of water resources:
- mineral waters
- lake waters
- river waters
- Between 2014 and 2020, 99.5 per cent of Polish rivers were found to be in poor condition
- Between 2016 and 2021, good water status was found in only 13 of the 3,685 rivers surveyed (0.4%), whilst of the 1,044 lakes surveyed, only 1.1% were classified as having good water status
- The proportion of surface waters in good condition in Poland fell from 31% to 8.5% over a six-year period
source: portalkomunalny.pl oraz upwr.edu.pl oraz www.energa.pl
Although water resources appear to be plentiful both globally and in Poland, the situation is not good. Climate change, limited supplies of drinking water and increasing water pollution threaten the availability of water in the future. The state of water management is a cause for alarm, highlighting the importance of public education on environmental protection.
Poland is considered to be a country with relatively scarce water resources, due to: relatively low rainfall, fairly high evaporation rates, and inefficient water management.
According to a 2025 report, only 8.5 per cent of surface waters in Poland are of good quality. Poland therefore falls significantly below the EU average – on average, 40 per cent of surface waters in the EU achieve good ecological status
source: wszystkoconajwazniejsze.pl
On average, there are 5,100 m³ of water per person per year across Europe – Poland has the lowest per capita water resources, at 1,700 m³
source: inzynieria.com
Poland’s water resources are characterised by:
- significant seasonal variability, resulting from variations in rainfall levels from year to year: in certain periods (years, months), excessive rainfall is observed, leading to flooding; in other periods, prolonged droughts cause water shortages and, consequently, a drop in the water table and reduced agricultural yields
- uneven distribution
source: www.geografia24.eu oraz www.wodkany.pl
dr inż. Magdalena Olak-Kucharczyk
+48 42 61 63 145
e-mail: magdalena.olak-kucharczyk@lit.lukasiewicz.gov.pl
dr inż. Anetta Walawska
+48 426 163 114
e-mail: anetta.walawska@lit.lukasiewicz.gov.pl
dr Iwona Kucińska – Król
tel. +48 42 61 63 115
e-mail: iwona.kucinska-krol@lit.lukasiewicz.gov.pl