The level of water on Vistula river is getting lower. Therefore, the Warsaw city hall have decided to reopen the embankments.
The city hall announced that residents of Warsaw may again use the Vistulan Boulevards between Łazienkowski and Gdański bridges.
The no-entry order has been called off at 6 pm. The police tapes that prevented people from entering river area have been taken down. Shortly after, the first walkers and bikers appeared at the banks of the Vistula.
Peak wave in Warsaw
Warsaw's Vistulan Boulevards had been closed on Monday evening - fountains, part of power supply and city bike stations located at the river have been switched off.
"We have decided to preventively close the boulevards because the weather forecast for Tuesday were very bad, because there was rain and wind," said the Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski on Wednesday.
Because of the high level of water, floodgates have also been closed, as well as the gates to Czerniaków Port.
Earlier on, all the anti-flood systems, including pump stations were double checked. Trash bins and portable toilets were removed, as well as campfire grates and watery booths. The landing stage near the Poniatowskiego bridge was detached and secured. The boatswains in ports are monitoring the anchored boats, yachts and other vessels.
Bags and sand
The owners of riverside cafes and bars were asked by the city authorities to secure their facilities, shut down sewages, empty trash containers and remove chairs and tables. Additionally, the city prepared 260,000 sandbags in case floodbanks required reinforcing. For security reasons, access to inter-levee areas was prohibited. Access to garden plots in Mokotów district was also restricted.
Furthermore, services were securing bridges on which crowds were gathering to watch the river.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English