Zanieczyszczenie wód i powietrza w Polsce w latach 1945–1970 jako problem władzy i społeczeństwa
Pollution of air and water in Poland in the years 1945–1970 as a problem of the government and the society

Summary/Abstract: Immediately after the war a discussion about the condition of the natural environment in Poland was held mainly in the specialist press that emphasised its degradation as especially dangerous for the society biologically and psychically wasted by experiences of the war. During the period of deStalinisation and political “thaw” after the 1956 October the subject of air and water pollution was more and more present in the press, but also in discussions of both the leaders of the state and some organised circles of the society. An increasingly well-known deteriorating state of the natural environment which adversely affected economic performance forced the government to search for remedies. As a result, new legal regulations were introduced with accompanying organisational changes. The most important of them were: the establishment of the Ministry of Navigation and Water Management (1957), Central Water Management Board (1960), and local structures responsible for the protection of waters from pollution, the introduction of the Water Law (1962), and the enactment of the Air Pollution Protection Act (1966). From 1960s on, systematic pollution tests of waters and air were carried on, which indicated that between 1967 and 1970 the condition of lakes and rivers deteriorated in comparison to the period of 1964–1967. In the same period there was an increased emission of greenhouse gases and reduced dust emissions. The main reasons for this were: the inefficacy of adopted laws (including a penalties system), insufficient financial investments in effective purification equipment, which was technologically outdated in its large part, the lack of qualified personnel specialised in environmental protection. There were, however, in the analysed period some elements of environmental awareness of people which were expressed, among other things, in letters sent by Polish citizens to the government.

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