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Recovery of dead fish from the Oder (on the Polish bank in Krajnik Dolny)
Photo: ANNEGRET HILSE / REUTERS
According to the Polish government, the death of fish in the Oder is not due to heavy metals.
This would have resulted in further analyzes of dead fish by the State Veterinary Institute, Environment Minister Anna Moskwa wrote on Twitter on Saturday evening.
The government in Warsaw had previously ruled out elevated mercury levels as the cause.
However, the analyzes indicated increased salt levels in the water and thus agreed with the findings of the German authorities, Moskwa told the PAP news agency.
»The high salinity of the Oder may have activated other toxic substances in the water or in the bottom sediment.
The toxicological analysis of the fish will help identify any contaminants that may have contributed to the deaths of the animals.”
High reward offered
According to information from Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens), the Oder has "very much increased salt loads".
The term salt loads refers to salts dissolved in the water.
Poland's government suspects that the river was poisoned with chemical waste.
The Polish police have offered a reward of around 210,000 euros for the investigation.
According to the Ministry of the Interior in Warsaw, 2,000 police officers, more than 300 firefighters and 200 soldiers are currently deployed on the banks of the Oder.
They help rescue dead fish and warn citizens to avoid contact with the water.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke has meanwhile admitted initial problems with the cooperation with neighboring Poland when investigating the fish kill in the Oder.
You have now agreed on better coordination, said the Green politician on Saturday evening during a visit to Frankfurt (Oder) near the border.
Lemke spoke to emergency services from the fire brigade and technical relief organization.
She criticized the lack of information from Poland.
"The question of German-Polish cooperation obviously didn't work at this point," said the minister.
"Otherwise we would have received information earlier, at least from the state of Brandenburg or the neighboring municipalities."
In a first meeting on Friday, she agreed with the Polish Environment Minister Moskwa that there should be a joint assessment by experts and an exchange of analysis results.
Lemke thanked helpers and anglers who quickly drew attention to the dead fish.
According to government information, Polish authorities had indications by the end of July that there were masses of dead fish floating in the river.
Now the government and authorities are being criticized for having hesitated.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki therefore dismissed the heads of the water authority and the environmental authority on Friday evening.
He only found out about the massive fish kill on Wednesday.
"I was definitely informed too late."
"I reckon with several tons of fish that we get out"
In the Oder border area, hundreds of helpers began collecting dead animals at the weekend.
In the small town of Lebus near Frankfurt, the decomposition caused an unpleasant odor to spread, as a reporter from the dpa news agency determined.
You could also see birds snatching up dead fish.
Rescuers wore rubber boots and gloves to protect themselves from direct contact with the water and fish.
"I reckon with several tons of fish that we get out," said Thomas Rubin for the district administration.
Around 300 helpers are on the move, especially on the bank, over a distance of around 80 kilometers.
wit/dpa
