Antropogeniczne zagrożenia środowiska przyrodniczego Doliny Białki
Anthropogenic hazards to the Białka Valley natural environment

Summary/Abstract: The Białka Valley natural environment is currently exposed to anthropogenic hazards. The main elements of this anthropopressure are: settlement, agriculture, other unproper economic activities and tourism growth. The river of Białka still has a natural, mountain character in most of its sections. But in the remaining ones the river is engineered, in order to protect villages along its course from floods. Considerable transformations of the discussed valley occur at Łysa Polana, where the river is a natural border between Poland and Slovakia. To keep the border in accordance with documents, after each change of the bed location, the former course of the Białka is restored. Moreover, at the Białka mouth there are two mines of river gravel used in construction. Also water is taken from the river. Effects of this action are the most negative in winter, when water is used also to make snow on ski slopes. The Kotelnica ski station takes 650 m3 per hour during the period of maximal demand for water. The Białka river is receives various pollution, from the villages nearby. In winter people burn refuse in their stoves, which make the aerosanitary conditions worse and worse. The Białka Valley links the Tatras with the Gorce Mts and the Pieniny Mts. This ecological corridor is important in the scale of the whole Polish Carpathians, but its functioning is nowadays at hazard. The anthropopressure should be reduced in this area. All human activity should be conducted according to the principles of sustainable development. (Translated by Zygmunt Górka)

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