Nowadays, actions aimed at reducing the negative environmental impacts are of key importance. There is growing interest in renewable energy sources, green transport and mandatory recycling and reuse of waste. As part of the 3W initiative, the Municipality of Łomazy, in cooperation with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, undertakes educational activities and seeks solutions to address problems related to diminishing water resources. Problems that affect more and more regions of our country.
In the municipality of Łomazy, residents used approximately 213,160 m3 of water from the water supply network in 2021, and in 2022 it was approximately 221,850 m3, which means an increase of approximately 8,690 m3. When expressed in percentages, this represents an increase of approximately 4.1%. Each resident uses an average of 100-150 litres of water per day, but only about 3% of it is used for human consumption. What happens to the remaining amount? Water is used in gardens, sewage systems or in agriculture. We often do not realize how dramatically water resources are shrinking and how severely water scarcity may affect all of us.
Water is one of the world’s most precious resources that needs to be treated with special care and managed rationally, because contrary to what one might assume, its reserves are very limited. Meanwhile, we use more and more of it every year. In 2021, water consumption in Poland amounted to 8.8 km3 – 6% more than in 2020. In order to address the growing problems of water shortage, it is necessary to invest in water retention, purification and treatment, but above all in water saving.
In Łomazy, this problem was noticed a long time ago. That is why a project was implemented in cooperation with the Rural Support Foundation. This has led, among other things, to the drawing up of a document called "Analysis of water retention possibilities in the Municipality of Łomazy" as well as to the creation of a demonstration bioswale and rain gardens. There was also a debate concerning the central reservoir. Detailed geological, geomorphological, relief and hydrographic maps were made. The efforts of local government officials in the Municipality of Łomazy have been appreciated by two initiatives that strive to create the best possible living conditions for families. The first of them is the 3W Idea, and the second one is the project called 6 Areas of Family Functioning, run by Instytut Pokolenia, the aim of which is to provide comprehensive support to families in various aspects of life.
‘We want to make people aware of the fact that saving water is not sole responsibility of local authorities, but of the entire community. Our daily habits can contribute to mitigating water stress and reducing its consumption,’ said Jerzy Czyżewski, mayor of Łomazy, during a meeting with the 3W Idea team.
In the last week of the school year, representatives of the 3W Idea visited the Complex of Educational Institutions in Łomazy, where they told students why water, hydrogen and coal are so important for a sustainable and better future. In order to make children aware that water is a scarce resource, educational animations about a man in a 3W world and about water were shown. A special knowledge quiz about water, hydrogen and carbon was organized for all students of grades 3-8, and the winners received water filter bottles.
One of the available solutions to reduce water consumption at home is the use of a faucet aerator, i.e. a water aeration device. Aerators can save you up to 60% of water. Thanks to the project carried out in cooperation with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and Instytut Pokolenia, aerators will be installed in all public buildings in the Municipality of Łomazy.
‘After today’s meeting, we can see a great willingness and commitment on the part of the municipal authorities of Łomazy to implement pilot 3W solutions. The local initiatives are focused on the implementation of ambitious projects related to sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitants,’ says Adam Żelezik, Director of the 3W Department at BGK.
We do hope that this initiative will serve as inspiration to others and that it will contribute to the protection of our precious resource, i.e. water. We are going to come back in a while to assess the results and to check how the aerators have contributed to saving water and improving the quality of life of the local residents. We strive to create a conscious community that cares about the future and the rational management of the resources at our disposal.
