Panel Registers 9th Request for Inspection of Flood Management Project in Poland

The Inspection Panel on October 10, 2019, issued a Notice of Registration for a ninth Request for Inspection of the Odra-Vistula Flood Management Project in Poland.
 
The Panel received the Request for Inspection of the project – which is intended to “increase access to flood protection for people living in selected areas of the Odra River and the Upper Vistula River basins and strengthen the institutional capacity of the borrower to mitigate the impact of floods more effectively” – on October 7, 2019, from three individuals living in the project area who asked the Panel to keep their identities confidential.
 
The Requesters raise concerns about impact from the construction of the Szalejow Reservoir on the environment, microclimate and their property as well as on their health and well-being. The Requesters explain that they live in constant stress and uncertainty and have received unreliable and misleading information about compensation.
 
The Panel had registered eight earlier Requests for Inspection of the project from several non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and other institutions on September 17 and 26, 2019, respectively. For reasons of economy and efficiency, the Panel plans to process the nine Requests jointly. 
 
The Panel’s registration implies no judgment concerning the merits of a Request for Inspection. Bank management must provide the Panel with a response to issues raised in the Request by November 11, 2019. After receiving the response, the Panel will make a recommendation to the Board of Executive Directors as to whether the matter should be investigated.