- Title: Polish cities wheel out communist nostalgia to get citizens drinking tap water
- Date: 15th July 2019
- Summary: KATOWICE, POLAND (JULY 13, 2019) (REUTERS) PEOPLE STANDING NEAR COMMUNIST-STYLE SODA FOUNTAIN TROLLEY, KNOWN AS 'SATURATOR' CARBONATED WATER BEING POURED FROM SATURATOR WOMAN SERVING CARBONATED WATER TO CUSTOMER GIRL HOLDING CUP WITH WATER LOCAL RESIDENT, MALGORZATA KUBKA STANDING IN LINE FOR CARBONATED WATER (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) LOCAL RESIDENT, MALGORZATA KUBKA, SAYING: "I approached this gentleman and he explained to me that the water in Katowice is so clean that we can easily drink it from the tap, so it reassured me that we are moving in the right direction, that we care about ecology." COLLECTOR AND RENOVATOR OF SATURATORS, ADAM GRABOWSKI CLEANING SATURATOR / MAN DRINKING CARBONATED WATER MAN DRINKING CARBONATED WATER GRABOWSKI CHECKING PIPE CONNECTING SATURATOR TO MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY NETWORK GRABOWSKI POURING WATER KATOWICE, POLAND (JULY 12, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LAB TECHNICIANS TESTING WATER QUALITY WATER BEING TESTED (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) SPOKESWOMAN OF KATOWICE WATERWORKS, AGNIESZKA JASZKANIEC, SAYING: "We appeal to a kind of (ed's note: communist) sentiment. When people see the saturator, they want to check the water, they want to drink it, they want to check what it tastes like and we hope that when they check and see that it is tasty, they will do the same at home and this is what the campaign is about." KATOWICE, POLAND (JULY 13, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GRABOWSKI PUSHING SATURATOR TROLLEY THROUGH MAIN SQUARE GRABOWSKI SETTING UP SATURATOR CITY HYDRANT WITH PIPES PLUGGED (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) COLLECTOR AND RENOVATOR OF SATURATORS, ADAM GRABOWSKI, PRESENTING MACHINE AND SAYING: "We turn on the propane valve and we use carbon dioxide to increase the pressure in the tank up to four atmosphere units. We use a mixer, the handle located here to mix water with the gas. It is a process of saturation so mixing water with gas and as a result, slightly carbonated water." GRABOWSKI'S DAUGHTER POURING WATER FROM SATURATOR BOY DRINKING CARBONATED WATER (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) RESIDENT OF KATOWICE, ANETA MROCHEN, SAYING: "People do not segregate rubbish. The bottles are banging everywhere. We should drink tap water." PEOPLE WALKING IN MAIN SQUARE DABROWA GORNICZA, POLAND (JULY 13, 2019) (REUTERS) GRABOWSKI WALKING DOWN TO BASEMENT VARIOUS OF OLD SATURATORS THAT NEED RENOVATION (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) COLLECTOR AND RENOVATOR OF SATURATORS, ADAM GRABOWSKI, PRESENTING MACHINE AND SAYING: "These people (ed's note: who comes to drink water from saturator) recall the times of their youth. These people turn back in time. In a fraction of a second, these people feel younger." RUDA SLASKA, POLAND (JULY 13, 2019) (REUTERS) CHILDREN STANDING IN ROOM FURNISHED IN COMMUNIST STYLE, PART OF EXHIBITION AT MUSEUM OF COMMUNISM (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) GUIDE MUSEUM OF COMMUNISM, KAMIL WARZECHA, SAYING: "This kind of soda syphon bottle needed to be charged with a cartridge (ed's note: with carbon dioxide) and once it was done, you could drink carbonated water which wouldn't be possible without this appliance. Today we can choose from sparkling water, mineral water in supermarkets. Back then, you had only one option." VARIOUS OF PRODUCTS DISPLAYED IN COMMUNIST-STYLE NEWSSTAND
- Embargoed: 29th July 2019 11:22
- Keywords: tap water waterworks in Poland water campaign soda fountain
- Location: KATOWICE, DABROWA GORNICZA AND RUDA SLASKA, POLAND
- City: KATOWICE, DABROWA GORNICZA AND RUDA SLASKA, POLAND
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA001ANW38ZD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Polish cities are resorting to communist-era mobile soda fountains to convince residents to switch to drinking tap water.
Many Poles still believe tap water isn't safe to drink, despite recent upgrades of city water systems, prompting authorities to use water trolleys known as 'saturators' in their tap water campaigns.
The ‘saturators’ were an integral feature of the city landscape during communist times, and are now seen in public squares in big provincial cities.
They are linked to the municipal water supply network and carbonate the water.
Katowice and other big cities used EU funds to modernise and develop their water systems in the past two decades.
Adam Grabowski, who owns five trolley 'saturators' and two buffet versions of the soda fountain, said the element of nostalgia is making them popular, particularly among middle-aged and older people who remember the original trolleys.
Residents of Katowice travelled back in time and stood in line to get a fizzy drink, also available in flavours, such as with raspberry syrup.
Other Polish cities that have launched tap water campaigns using 'saturators' include Poznan, Czestochowa, Sosnowiec and Bialystok.
(Production: Janusz Chmielewski, Malgorzata Wojtunik) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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