Local government in Poland’s capital Warsaw is putting in place emergency measures against possible floods months of snow and ice melts.

The sight of the ice-bound Vistula river and huge piles of snow on the streets of Warsaw makes many Varsovians shudder to think what could happen when spring eventually comes.

And they are not alone. Local authorities are making preparations in the event of flooding. About a million sandbags have been prepared. Firemen and soldiers are on call.

The governor of the Mazowsze province which surrounds Warsaw, Jacek Kozlowski says there is no cause for fear, however.  “At the moment we are talking only about a potential threat,” Kozlowski told Polskie Radio.

In 1979 and 83, Poland experienced flooding as snow and ice thawed rapidly.

A dangerous situation may arise when there is a sharp and sudden rise in temperature, starting from the south of the country, he said. This year a record amount of snow has fallen in the central Mazowsze region. There is more snow there than in the mountains down south, the governor added.

Though the slight thaw which set in yesterday is not causing immediate problems, authorities are on the alert. "The thickness of snow and hampering the drainage of water and this could cause flooding," warned Regional Director of Water Management in Warsaw, Leszek Baginski. (kk/pg)