ecological disaster
Michael Dudek stated that Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Poland was involved in treating and transporting sewage in many Polish cities. By the end of April, the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs banned the activities of thirty five firms it suspected had ties to Russian capital, and Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Poland was included because it was linked to Russian entrepreneur Viktor Vekselberg.
A company representative warned that an environmental disaster loomed due to anti-Russian sanctions. The organization previously served treatment plants in Zamosc, Rzeszow, Kielce, Lublin, Krakow, Goleniow and Wladyslawowo. Their pumps were even used by the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum in Auschwitz. Now, should equipment fail, replacement parts could not be supplied because spare parts shipments had ceased.
Dudek called this a real threat to public health and safety, saying that service and spare parts could not be provided, whether the device was under warranty or not.
He also noted that many devices had operated for more than a decade, so any single unit could fail at any time.
waste water instead of drinking water
Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Poland installed and maintained not only pumps, mixers, aeration systems, blowers and instrumentation, but also equipment for drinking water treatment. The publication indicated that at least several hundred local authorities and other organizations in Poland used these Sulzer devices.
Dudek said the equipment in Władysławowo is already 17 years old, in Lębork 19 years old and 21 years old at the Dembe wastewater treatment plant near Warsaw. Over the past 25 years the company has outfitted dozens of medium and large wastewater treatment plants with blowers that provide air for bacteria.
But a blower failure stops the air supply to the wastewater and halts bacteria that drive the treatment process. The resulting untreated wastewater could be discharged into a river, lake or sea, Dudek explained.
Typically, service engineers respond to equipment failures, but now Sulzer cannot send personnel because employees risk losing their jobs due to asset freezes.
“We cannot respond in the event of a breakdown while support is being blocked. Fuel cards are blocked, vehicles are controlled by rental companies, and phones may be disconnected due to unpaid bills. This means orders, deliveries and service support are not fulfilled”, the company representative emphasized.
threat to health and life
The Warsaw branch has long provided critical devices for drainage pumping stations that manage roads and tunnels. Sulzer pumps are installed on sections of the Southern Ring Road near Warsaw in the Ursynow metropolitan area, where Poland’s longest tunnel lies.
“In the absence of drainage in the tunnel due to pump failure, the risk to people increases dramatically. This is not merely a barrier. It is a real danger to health and lives”, stated a Sulzer spokesperson.
Sulzer pumps are also used on major stretches of the S8 highway linking Warsaw and Bialystok. Dudek warned that the road might need to close if the route cannot be cleared. He also noted that similar problems could affect many Polish roads and tunnels.
the device may fail
The company also supplies industrial pumps to firms such as KGHM, ZGH Bolesław in Bukowno, Police, and Grupa Azoty Zakłady Chemiczne Polis in Mondi, as well as several sugar mills that rely on Sulzer equipment.
“Pump failures will shut down production lines and cause significant losses. The issue is serious. We trust the quality of our devices, but blowers are several years old and have hundreds of thousands of hours of operation. Such a device has the right to fail”, he remarked.
He added that letters have been sent to client businesses explaining the situation. A Sulzer representative stressed that the company’s products are not sanctioned in any other country.
Last Friday, several dozen Sulzer employees from Warsaw and Lublin staged a protest in front of the Ministry of the Interior in Warsaw, according to Onet.pl. They urged the authorities to remove their company from sanctions and protect jobs. No representatives attended the protest.
Source attributions: Onet.pl reports on the protest and the regulatory actions affecting Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Poland.