German Minister: The death of fish in the Odra river is an ecological disaster

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke called the mass death of fish in the Odra River an environmental disaster, noting it was unclear how long the river would take to recover.

The German minister made the announcement during a joint press conference with her Polish counterpart Anna Maksua on Sunday following a meeting in Szczecin, a Polish city on the Odra River.

The Odra River flows from the Czech Republic to the border between Poland and Germany, and then flows into the Baltic Sea.

Dozens of tons of dead fish were recovered from the river last week, but Moxua said the cause of the mass deaths has not yet been determined.

She added: “At the moment, at least 150 samples from the water of the Odra River have been tested. No study has confirmed the presence of toxic substances, but at the same time we are testing fish.”

She confirmed that no mercury or any other heavy materials were found in it.

Polish Minister Anna Maksua pointed out that some samples of the Odra water were sent to foreign laboratories for the study of about 300 substances.

The two ministers said they are now focused on doing everything they can to limit damage to the river’s ecosystem.

Lemke pointed out that the German authorities were not quick enough to warn about the discovery of dead fish in Poland, and said communication between the two countries should improve.

Source: AB

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