Why are thousands of dead fish floating in the Oder? Poland and Germany are looking for the cause. A task force of experts is working at full speed. The news ticker.
- Fish deaths in the Oder: How dangerous is the water?
- Or disaster: fish kills with far-reaching consequences – “People are afraid”
- This news ticker is updated regularly
Update from August 17, 2:50 p.m .: The environmental catastrophe causes a lot of politics in Poland. Not only neighboring Germany, but also the citizens of the Oder area themselves are upset about the handling of the massive fish kill. The opposition, conservationists and residents accuse the national-conservative PiS government of passivity and arrogance of power and are demanding personal consequences.
Because of the poor crisis management in dealing with the natural disaster, the Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki, the Ministry of the Environment and the head of the regional administration of Lower Silesia O Bremski have come under criticism. The latter had continued his three-week vacation despite the Oder disaster. However, those affected deny any accusation. Morawiecki said that the failure of the information chain to the German authorities was the fault of the opposition. Donald Tusk, head of the liberal-conservative Citizens’ Platform, had spread “fake news” and, with reference to information from Germany, claimed that mercury was the cause of the fish kills. “They really thrived and kept their fingers crossed for the quicksilver,” Morawiecki scoffed at Tusk and his followers. The constitutional judge Krystyna Pawlowicz asked on Saturday (13 August) via Twitter: “Will the possibility that the Oder was poisoned by the German side be considered?”
Toxic or water? District administrator with a questionable assessment for bathers
Update from August 17, 1:05 p.m .: Despite the urgent warning to avoid the water of the Oder, the district administrator of the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, Michael Sack, now said that “[a]n the Baltic Sea beaches of the sunny island of Usedom [… ] the best bathing conditions continued to prevail. To date, the region has not been affected by the events. The Oder flows into the Stettiner Haff, which is connected to the Baltic Sea off Usedom.
The Schwerin state government, on the other hand, advises against bathing because, despite the lack of concrete information, damage to health cannot be ruled out. Across borders, experts strongly recommend avoiding any contact with water that may originate from the Oder; fishing, water sports and swimming should be avoided. Health consequences have already been reported for pets (see initial report).
Dead fish in the Oder: how dangerous is the water? Well suspicious symptoms detected in dogs
First report from August 17, 11:42 a.m.: Szczecin – The death of fish in the Oder is still unclear. Thousands of carcasses had been found in the water in this country since Tuesday (August 9th). In Poland, a striking number of dead fish had already been discovered in the border river about two weeks earlier. In order to improve the lack of crisis communication between the two countries, a task force has now been set up to determine the cause of the environmental disaster. Furthermore, the question arises: How dangerous is the water of the river?
Fish deaths in the Oder: water carries thousands of carcasses – how dangerous is the river really?
An environmental catastrophe is the death of thousands of animals in the Oder. Also on the Polish side of the border river, according to focus online , the effects of the fish kill are already great. The current temperatures in particular are tempting to cool down in the river – with fatal consequences. The newspaper reports about a dog that had to struggle with serious signs of illness after bathing in the Oder. The animal is now still “weak and exhausted, but at least the vomiting and diarrhea have improved and the hunger is gradually coming back”. German authorities also warn against contact with the probably toxic river water.
Fish kill in the Oder: Polish economy hit hard – “People are afraid”
As the online portal Wszczecinie reports, restaurants are also affected by the Oder disaster. Fish dishes would be avoided, fish factories would be left with their products. However, the fish usually do not come from the Oder. “But unfortunately people are scared,” fishmonger Svetlana Szalwa in Trzebież explained to the portal about the collapse in demand.
Tourists no longer want to do leisure activities in the questionable waters either. According to focus online , a boat rental company pointed out that “almost no customers” were left. Politicians are said to have even predicted that the summer season with the fish kill would come to an unexpectedly early end. (askl)
