environment
The first results on the Oder fish kill should be available
A dead lead lies in the shallow water of the German-Polish border river Oder. photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
Contaminated river water killed en masse fish in the Oder. Many questions are still open. Experts from Poland and Germany should give some answers at the beginning of the week.
According to information from Brandenburg, the first results of a bilateral group of experts on the Oder fish die-off will be presented at the German-Polish Environmental Council on Monday. The Environment Council will be informed about the current situation, said the Brandenburg Environment Ministry. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) meets in Bad Saarow in Brandenburg with her Polish counterpart Anna Moskwa, the fish kill and the consequences should also be discussed. The states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also take part in the council.
Brandenburg wants to work with Lemke and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for further constructive cooperation in the processing, announced the Potsdam Ministry of the Environment. It should be discussed with Poland how the ecological condition of the Oder can be restored. Solutions are also to be discussed as to how such fish kills and ecological damage can be better prevented in the future.
Masses of dead fish had been discovered in the German-Polish border river. The exact cause of the fish kill is not yet clear. Experts assume that a high level of salt in the river is a major reason for the environmental catastrophe, combined with low water, high temperatures and a toxic species of algae. By Saturday a week ago, around 200 tons of fish carcasses had been collected in Poland and Germany.
Brandenburg’s Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) wants to reiterate his rejection of the Polish decision to expand the Oder in Bad Saarow. The Ministry and environmental organizations had lodged an objection.