Summary of anti-smog measures in Małopolska in 2022

The Marshal’s Office of the Małopolskie Voivodeship summarized the activities of all communes and poviats in the implementation of the Air Protection Program for the Małopolskie Voivodeship in 2022.

The study presents information on actions taken, such as liquidation of low-efficiency heating devices, thermal modernization of buildings, investment in RES, expansion of bicycle paths. An important element of the summary is also information on the expenses incurred and the environmental effects achieved. The summary was created on the basis of received annual reports from municipalities and poviats.

Elimination of coal furnaces and boilers

In 2022, inefficient solid fuel boilers were eliminated in a total of 16,875 buildings/locations in Małopolska, including 8 in Krakow and 16,867 in municipalities outside Krakow. In comparison, in 2021, inefficient boilers were eliminated in 13,678 buildings/locations, including 22 in Krakow and 13,656 outside Krakow. This shows that the rate of replacement of off-grade boilers in Małopolska has further accelerated, the result achieved in 2022 is 23% higher than last year, and compared to 2020 the result is 65% higher.

Number of eliminated obsolete solid fuel boilers in Małopolska from 2013-2022.
*From 2020, data refers to the number of buildings/locations where inefficient solid fuel heat sources have been eliminated.

Measures to reduce low emissions undertaken by municipalities and poviats have reduced PM10 emissions by 770 Mg, PM2.5 emissions by 752 Mg in 2022. Benzo(a)pyrene emissions have decreased by 234 kg over the past year.

Residents of the Małopolska region continue to eagerly reach for financial assistance to replace inefficient equipment. In 2022, they submitted 17,722 applications for funding to replace heat sources from the Clean Air program. This compares with 19,973 in 2021 and 9,152 applications in 2020.

Małopolska municipalities in their reports for 2022 showed that 2,151 thermal upgrades of residential buildings were carried out in the province, and 19,671 investments in renewable energy sources were made. The number of RES investments is comparable to data from the 2021 reports where 20,180 devices were installed. In addition, data obtained by UMWM from Tauron Dystrybucja S.A. and PGE Dystrybucja S.A. indicate that 128,175 new photovoltaic installations with a total capacity of 934.91 MW were connected to the distribution network in 2022.

Inspections and educational activities

180 municipalities in the province have undertaken inspections on compliance with the anti-smog resolution and the ban on waste burning by residents. In 2022, more than 26,700 inspections were carried out, during which 607 cases of non-compliance with the resolution and 886 cases of waste burning were detected. Fines totaling more than PLN 138 thousand were imposed, and 96 cases were referred to court. During the inspections, obligations under the anti-smog resolution and the ban on burning waste or plant residues were verified at the same time.

In 2022, communes and poviats of the Małopolskie Voivodship organized a total of over 1.4 thousand. actions or educational campaigns in the field of air protection, thanks to which almost 3 million people were reached.

Activities of municipalities

One of the most important functions in supporting residents is performed by Eco-managers employed by municipalities. Each year, more and more municipalities opt for such experts. In 2022, there were a total of 249 eco-managers in 177 municipalities in the province (compared to 235 in 2021 and 104 eco-managers in 2020).

181 municipalities operated service points for the Clean Air Program, which is very popular. In 2022, as many as 60% of applications were submitted through municipal service points.

More and more municipalities are allocating funds from their budgets for air protection. As many as 92 Małopolska municipalities have allocated more than 1% of their own funds for this purpose in 2022, and 30 municipalities have allocated more than 0.5%.

The province has purchased 65 new public transportation vehicles with high environmental performance. A total of more than 133 kilometers of new bicycle roads have been added in Małopolska, and 44 municipalities have conducted campaigns promoting the use of sustainable forms of transportation.

Improving air quality

Air quality in Małopolska in 2022 has improved. According to the assessment of air quality in the Małopolska Voivodeship in 2022 provided by the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, exceedances of the permissible annual average value of PM 2.5 occurred only at one measurement station in Nowy Sącz. However, exceedances of the target level of benzo(a)pyrene occurred in all zones of the Małopolska voivodeship.

The downward trend in the number of days with exceedances of the permissible daily level of PM10 dust continues.

Number of days with exceedances of the PM10 permissible level at selected stations in Małopolska province in 2011-2022 (GIOŚ data).

The improvement in air quality in Krakow and Małopolska is particularly evident during the heating season from October to March. The average concentration of PM10 dust between the 2014-2015 winter season (the period before the introduction of the anti-smog resolution for Krakow and Małopolska) and the 2022-2023 season fell by 44% in Małopolska, including as much as 53% in Krakow and 40% outside Krakow.