Poland's Water Resources and the Ecological Safety

The notion of ecological safety was defined at the end of the 20th century. Such a need resulted from the steady deterioration in the condition of the natural environment in local, regional and global dimensions. These changes led to a substantial reduction in the resources of clean air, soil and water. Poland belongs to countries having scarce water resources. This fact, not yet fully realized, can become an essential barrier to future growth. The storage capacity of the impounding reservoirs and the available per capita water resources lag considerably behind the mean values of these indicators for the OECD and EU countries. In paper, the quantitative condition of the surface and underground waters was presented directions of indispensable measures towards protection of the water resources were laid down. Attention was drawn to the new threat to water resources arising from terrorism. Water resources (as an element of limited and finite natural resources) have their economic value that is subject to changes in the changing environment. Protection of the quality of water resources utilized for the functioning of the biological life and economic processes must be performed in a holistic way taking into account the relation and links between the economy and the laws of nature.