Picturesque, wild and… polluted. The Dlubnia river, which crosses the Nowa Huta district, is not in a good condition. A lush vegetation on the river banks was replaced with a thick layer of garbage, bushes displaced with piles of glass and plastic bottles, grass buried under plastic foils, cans and cartons.
The river, which is recognized as a natural icon of the region, in recent years has been cleaned up three times by volunteers. This time employees from ArcelorMittal Poland Unit in Krakow step into action joining the initiative of cleaning the Dlubnia river and its tributary, the Mlynowka stream. Next Saturday, March 24 at 11am we are gathering to tidy up three hectares of land spreading from the Dlubnia bend, the Mlynowka, Wojciechowskiego street to the Nowohucki lagoon. Sadly, this picturesque corner became very polluted.
To employees from Krakow’s plant the Dlubnia river is very important because supplies in water many installations, as well as the power plant of TAMEH. By cleaning up the river we can repay our debt to nature and create a pleasant place to visit. A place where Cracovians can spend their free time outdoors. By this initiative we respond to the needs of citizens who reported to us and to the authorities of Nowa Huta district their concerns about the environmental condition of the Dlubnia river.
- In Nowa Huta, which is considered the greenest district of Krakow, there are many valuable natural areas, including the Dlubnia river zone. We are very glad to participate in this initiative, as our plant is directly neighbouring to the area. We hope that the initiative of cleaning up the river banks will encourage citizens to visit it more often, and on the other hand, will discourage any visitor from further polluting. Let me remind that a plastic bottle thrown on the ground decomposes around 1000 years, and a glass bottle cannot be decomposed at all. In the era of environmental awareness and recycling we should keep it in mind – underlines Jolanta Zawitkowska, green officer at ArcelorMittal Poland Unit in Krakow.
Together with Marcin Pawlik, naturalist from EcoTravel Foundation, who has conducted such events in the past, employees from ArcelorMittal Poland will take on this challenging task.
- The event is not only about the cleaning up the river. We organize this meeting for all who care about the environment and especially the local ecosystem. We would like to send a clear message to those who drop litter, that we are here, that the river belongs to all of us and we are all responsible for keeping it clean. We want to translate this responsibility into action and start cleaning – says, Marcin Pawlik, chairman of EcoTravel Foundation in Krakow.
We would like to encourage all citizens of Nowa Huta and Krakow to participate in this event. Nothing more than just good intentions are necessary, warm and comfortable clothes and shoes. ArcelorMittal Poland will provide protective gloves, garbage bags and hot meals for the participants. We are meeting on Saturday, March 24 at 11am in front if the Angler’s House. Marcin Pawlik from EcoTravel who is familiar with the terrain and the character of the river, will provide us a brief instruction on what and how to pick up trash.
We have prepared three different routes depending on the difficulty of the terrain. One for families with children and the other two for adults.
Important information:
· Don’t forget to put on comfortable and warm clothes
· Shoes – waterproof preferable, comfortable and non-slippery (i.e. wellingtons, old sports shoes)
· We provide protective gloves and garbage bags
· We will be picking up all sorts of trash, except for broken glass and sharp objects that could be harmful.
· Full garbage bags should be deposited in the designated zone on the river bank. They will be collected at the end of the event.
Event programme:
11.00 – meeting point in front of the Angler’s House (Bulwarowa street 43)
11.15 – handing out of trash bags and protective gloves, a brief introduction on safety and routes
11.30 – starting the clean-up of the Dlubnia river
13.00 – final of the event, hot meals and hot drinks
All collected trash will be taken away by the employees of Krakow’s plant to the Municipal Waste Management Company in Krakow for further recycling treatment.
At the end of the event, at around 1pm, we invite all participators to share with us a hot meal at the Angler’s House. The Municipal Greenery Management in Krakow, who joined the action, will provide hot drinks to all volunteers.
The event is organized under auspices of the Krakow’s District XVI Bienczyce Council, District XVIII Nowa Huta Council and the Municipal Greenery Management in Krakow.
