Petition for saving drinking water on the border of Czechia, Germany and Poland

Municipalities in the Liberec Region are at risk of losing drinking water for approximately 30,000 inhabitants. They are endangered by the existing activities and expansion of the Polish lignite mine - Turów. The large lignite open-pit mine negatively affects the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Czech border region, mainly due to noise from traffic, the amount of airborne dust, emissions from the adjacent Turów lignite power plant, cracking and depreciation of real property due to the instability of the rock subsoil, and reduction of the level of groundwater and the resulting drying of wells. Many municipalities in the region are not connected to the central water supply, and the residents are therefore dependent only on their own wells or jointly used wells. The Turów mine has a mining licence valid only until April 2020 but its operator has now applied for an extension of the licence until 2044. At the same time, the mine is to be expanded to up to 150-200 metres from the state border with the Czech Republic, while the nearest Czech village, Uhelná, is located only 1,000 metres from the Czech-Polish border. In the event the mining is extended until 2044, there is a serious risk of losing drinking water for up to 30,000 inhabitants of the Czech borderland. The ongoing authorisation process of the project violates European law, namely the SEA Directive, the EIA Directive, the Water Framework Directive and the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The full text of the petition is available on the websites of the Liberec Region and the municipalities listed below. As of Monday, 23 Jaunary 2020, the petition can also be signed at www.stopturow.cz

download the petition in pdf format

Petitioners:
Region Liberecki, towns Bílý Kostel nad Nisou, Černousy, Dětřichov, Frýdlant, Heřmanice, Hrádek nad Nisou, Chotyně, Chrastava, Kunratice and Višňová, located next to the mine, and Greenpeace Česká republika