KGHM helps flood victims

Pumps and equipment to secure flood relief operations, 60,000 litres of water for flood victims, fund raising, and help from the KGHM volunteers - KGHM Polska Miedź is not indifferent to the events taking place in the region.

Since the beginning of the flood, aid for the affected population in Lower Silesia has been organised by companies in the KGHM Group, divisions of KGHM - mines and smelters - as well as employee volunteers.

Already on Saturday, 14 September, the Legnica Copper Smelter donated 40 tonnes of sand, bags and equipment to help local residents in securing the banks of the Kaczawa River.

Also on Saturday, the Hydrotechnical Plant of KGHM assisted in pumping out water from the area of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Złotoryja. Two tractors with pumping units were put to work and by Tuesday afternoon (17 September) pumped out more than 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools and consequently secured the wastewater treatment plant.

Assistance from KGHM volunteers

At all KGHM divisions, volunteers have organised a collection in which employees donate basic necessities for those affected by the disaster: bottled water, food with a long expiry date, chemical cleaning products, shovels, street brushes and sludge sweepers, as well as rubber boots and sandbags, of which nearly 7,000 have been collected so far.

The first transports with the most needed items already collected set off for the collection point in Kłodzko and also to the Voluntary Fire Service Unit in Ścinawa on Wednesday 18 September.

In addition, KGHM employees joined actions organised by local governments and emergency staff to reinforce floodbanks, e.g. employees of the Cedynia Copper Smelter filled 2,000 bags with sand and transported them to the Rudna municipality.

KGHM Group companies for flood victims

KGHM Uzdrowiska Kłodzkie S.A., part of the PGU Group, donated 60 thousand litres of Staropolanka mineral water to the crisis management teams in the Kłodzko and Bystrzyca districts and the Fire Service units in Kłodzko, Stronie Śląskie and Chocieszów, as well as the Police in Polanica and numerous offices coordinating relief operations. The mining machinery company KGHM Zanam donated 50 tonnes of sand and 1,000 bags to the city of Głogów.

Qualified experts, pumps and heavy equipment were also dispatched to assist with the flood protection work.

Centrozłom from Wrocław declared the possibility of providing heavy equipment with operators. Such a situation has already occurred in Wrocław, where a crane and its operator unblocked the Odra canal near the Maria Mill on the Ostrów Tumski island. The equipment will remain there until the flood emergency is over.

Mine construction company PeBeKa sent four pumps and workers to the Cieplice Spa to pump out the flood waters.

KGHM’s Mine and Smelter Rescue Unit, whose rescuers will be taking part in securing the floodbanks of Odra in Ścinawa, has also pledged assistance in the fight against the flood. They have previously provided a specialist water pump to Ząbkowice Śląskie and 2 power generators to the Kotla municipality.

Other companies of the Group, such as Centrum Badań Jakości sp. z o.o., Lubinpex, Energetyka Sp. z o.o., PMT Linie Kolejowe, Inova, Mercus Logistyka, KGHM CUPRUM sp. z o.o. Research and Development Centre, KGHM Metraco, and Zagłębie Lubin joined in the collection of bottled water, food, chemicals, cleaning products, clothes, blankets, bed linen, towels and pet food.

The Management Board of KGHM is constantly reviewing its operations in the context of the flood situation, and the Company is in constant contact with the State Fire Service, local Voluntary Fire Service Units, NGOs and Crisis Management Centres. Through these institutions, KGHM collects information on the current demand so that aid reaches those who need it the most.