There is a water deficit for crops throughout Poland. The largest extent of agricultural drought hit spring cereals, and the largest shortages of water were recorded in the areas of Żuławy Wiślane. Slightly better situation was recorded in the Pomeranian, Słowiński, Wielkopolski, Masurian lake districts, in the Wielkopolska Lowlands, in the northern regions of the Mazowiecka, Śląska and Podlaska lowlands and in Polesie Lubelskie.

The Institute of Cultivation, Fertilization and Soil Science in Puławy states that the largest extent of agricultural drought hit spring cereals. Drought in these crops was recorded in 1,262 communes (approx. 50% of Polish communes) in the area of ​​over 22% of arable land of the country. Drought is slightly smaller in the case of winter crops. Strawberry cultivation was also affected by water shortage.

There has been a large water shortage ranging from -50 to -179 mm in a large area of the country for arable crops. The prevailing weather conditions this spring, due to high insolation and high wind speed, resulted in crop losses due to water deficit in 14 provinces. They were not recorded only in the Małopolskie and Podkarpackie voivodeships.

The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMiGW) issued warnings of hydrological drought that occurred in the Biała Przemsza River catchment area, in a fragment of the Vistula River in Silesia and the west of Małopolska. The rainfall forecasted for this week and the cold end of May will not significantly improve this situation.

“For the situation to return to normal, we would have to have a really cool and wet month, and the total rainfall would have to be 150-250 of standard measures”, says Paweł Staniszewski, z synoptic and hydrologist of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management.

Poland has one of the smallest water resources in Europe. The per capita average puts it globally at the level of Syria, Afghanistan and South Africa.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński