Thousands of fish float lifelessly in the Oder River, which runs through Germany and Poland, raising fears of an environmental “disaster” as locals are told to stay away from its waters.
These schools of fish that flock, belly to air, to the shores near the eastern German city of Schwedt, were likely swept upstream from Poland, where locals and fishermen reported the first cases on 28 of July.
German officials, caught off guard by their massive arrival, accused Polish authorities of failing to inform them. The German Minister for the Environment, Steffi Lemke, has demanded a thorough investigation to determine the causes of this “environmental disaster”.
Polish government under fire from critics
In Poland, the right-wing populist government has been criticized for not reacting sooner. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday that he had been informed “on August 9 or 10” of the contamination.
“Obviously I learned it too late,” he admitted.
“At first, everyone thought it was just a local problem,” he said on his weekly podcast on Friday.
“The scale of the contamination is very large, large enough to say that the Oder will need whole years to return to its natural state,” he acknowledged.
“Dead Fish Everywhere”
Standing at the water’s edge, Michel Tautenhahn, deputy director of the Lower Oder Valley National Park, gazes in dismay at the river, which forms a natural border between Poland and Germany.
“We are on the German side. We have dead fish everywhere,” he said.
“I am deeply shocked… I feel like I am watching decades of work being ruined… Water is our life,” he says, adding that a host of other aquatic animals, such as mussels, also succumbed. Fish, “it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” she says.
The Oder has been considered a relatively clean river for many years, hosting around 40 species of fish.
Many, some a few centimeters long, others almost 40 centimeters long, now float lifelessly in the river. Occasionally, we see some of them waving their tails and turning with difficulty to try to swim.
An “unusual” death
Authorities believe the fish were likely poisoned. His death is “unusual”, explains Axel Vogel, Minister for the Environment of the Land of Brandenburg, who considers that “tons” of fish have probably already died.
Fish kills are often caused by distorted oxygen levels when the water level is too low, he explains.
“But we have noticed an increase in the oxygen level for several days, which indicates that a foreign substance has been introduced and caused all this,” according to him.
Tests are being carried out in Germany to establish the nature of this substance. Authorities have already reported signs of extremely high levels of mercury.
Other preliminary tests released Friday night revealed an unusually high level of salinity. Other results on the possible presence of heavy metals or mercury are expected.
210,000 euros reward to find the culprit
In Poland, the prosecution has taken over the case, as outrage grows in the country. The head of government on Friday fired two water and environmental protection officials, whom he blamed for “acting too slowly.”
On Saturday, the Polish police offered a reward of 210,000 euros to find the author of the pollution.
On the banks of the Oder in Germany, Michel Tautenhahn worries about the future. “If it is mercury, it will stay there for a long time,” he said, remembering that this metal does not decay and could remain in sediments for many years.
Source: BFM TV
