The wave of contamination has not yet reached Szczecin or the Szczecin Lagoon – said Zbigniew Bogucki, West Pomeranian Voivode on Monday. He added that 45 tons of dead fish from the Odra have been fished within the voivodeship as of Friday.
What did the Germans find out? “Analysis showed mercury values that fall within ecological tolerance”
The contagion wave reached Szczecin. not
What is the reason for the death of the fish – neither we, on the Polish side, know, but neither do the German services, because I would like to remind you that they also carry out water level tests. I know they didn’t have any fish tests yesterday, there was no fish toxicology. We already have tests of fish sent to Puławy, we also do similar research in Szczecin and these results show no heavy metals in the tissues, for example
– said Zbigniew Bogucki, Voivode of Western Pomerania, on Monday in Krajnik Dolny (West Pomerania Voivodeship).
He stressed that the cause of the fish was unknown despite the “strong commitment of the services of both countries” – Poland and Germany.
When asked about the safety of the Baltic Sea bathing areas, he emphasized that they are under Sanepid’s surveillance and investigation.
For two or three days we examined these bathing areas with increased intensity every day, also today they have been tested in three municipalities, namely in the Odra basin – Świnoujście, Dziwnów and Międzyzdroje – and the water there is clean, the water is safe
said Bogucki.
He added that he is in contact with fishermen’s associations from the region, who informed him on Sunday that “not a single fish was dead in the Zalew Szczeciński”.
The contagion wave has not yet reached Szczecin, but has not reached the Szczecin lagoon, so it is still ahead of us. This polluted water – whatever it is, whatever pathogen it is – has yet to flow to this place. We have the freshest fish at Gryfino
– said the voivode.
He stressed that “there is no Odra poviat in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship where no samples would be collected”.
In every poviat there is at least one place in the Oder where samples are collected by the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection
– said Bogucki.
He added that the most difficult situation in the Gryfino is poviat, there are four sampling points. He pointed out that “the various parameters are puzzling”, but according to experts, these are not parameters that would cause such massive deaths of fish.
The voivode said the first water samples were collected in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship on August 5, “a week before the appearance of the first single dead fish in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship”.
Bogucki stressed that he had informed the German side about the activities of the services and asked for similar information, including regarding the ban on the use of the river; as he indicated, he is still waiting for an answer.
He added that ten dams have been built in the Voivodeship, ie more than 800 m of flexible dams and a permanent dam for catching dead fish. He indicated that 45 tons of dead fish have been fished since Friday.
Signs about dead fish in the lake in Środa Wlkp and the Wełna river in Rogoźno
Every, even the smallest signal about the appearance of dead fish in the waters of Greater Poland is verified by the appropriate services and carefully examined – emphasizes the Voivode of Greater Poland. He said he had been given information about fishing in the lake in Środa Wielkopolska and the Wełna river in Rogoźno.
Every, even the smallest signal about the appearance of dead fish in the waters of Greater Poland is verified and scrutinized by a dedicated service. Today we received information about the occurrence of such a phenomenon on the lake in Środa Wielkopolska and on the Wełna river in Rogoźno
– Michał Zieliński, the voivode of Wielkopolska, announced on social media on Monday evening.
He added that representatives of VIEP, PSSE and KP PSP, Druhów OSP and KP Police were immediately sent to both locations.
The selected area was secured on site and water was collected for testing
– he pointed out.
The voivode informed that the municipal bathing beach in Środa Wlkp was banned from use until the results of the water samples were obtained.
According to the procedure, measures have been taken to clean the reservoirs and the monitoring of the analyzed area has been put into operation
– he emphasized.
The voivode also recalled that “any similar situation, immediately after its discovery, must be reported to the competent services, i.e. the police headquarters or the state fire brigade”.
On Saturday, the Wielkopolska Voivode convened a meeting of the Provincial Crisis Management Team on the phenomenon of dead fish in the River Ner – which flows through the provinces of Łódź and Greater Poland, a tributary of the Warta.
I keep in touch with the services and coordinate their activities. I want to emphasize that there is no need to panic and that the situation is under constant control
– emphasized Michał Zieliński, the Voivode of Greater Poland after Saturday’s meeting.
Based on the staff’s findings, we make recommendations not to bathe or drink animals in the River Ner, as well as to refrain from fishing and recreational activities. Our actions are preventive in nature, we take them out of concern for the safety of the inhabitants of the region
– noted the voivode.
The office of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship in Poznań (WUW) announced on Saturday evening that due to the increased monitoring of the water level in the rivers of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Konin near Dąbie (Koło district) water samples from the Ner River flowing from the direction of the Łódź Voivodeship to the Greater Poland region. “The action was due to the dead fish phenomenon. The visual inspection revealed no visible changes on the river and the basic parameters are within the normal range” – was indicated.
WUW has indicated that a detailed investigation is being carried out, the results of which are continuously reported by the relevant services. The State Fisheries Guard of the entire Voivodeship is also involved in the activities.
The state fire brigade has built a dam on the Ner River near the village of Rzuchów – no cases of dead fish have been recorded in recent hours. All water inlets near the Ner River are inspected daily by sanitation services
– marked.
It was added that the Provincial Crisis Management Center in Pozna is cooperating with its counterpart in Łódź Province, as well as the District Crisis Management Center in Koło.
Agency dpa: Suspicion that mercury was the cause of death of the fish has not been confirmed
The causes of death of up to 100 tons of fish in the waters of the Oder are still unknown. However, the German Environment Ministry speaks of a “terrible environmental disaster” with transnational consequences. The German side’s suspicion that the cause of the fish kill was mercury has not been confirmed, according to the dpa agency.
What we currently observe on the river Odra, ie the death of fish on the Polish and German side, is a great event from our point of view. It is therefore a serious case of damage that must be absolutely declared
That said the spokesman for the ministry, Ulrich Schulte, in Berlin on Monday.
According to Sascha Maier, a federal water expert, the amount of fish that have died in the Oder in recent days could reach 100 tons.
This is a forecast based on reports of individual collection days for dead fish
– Maier explained this on Monday at the request of the Dutch DPA. He stressed that the environmental disaster hit the Odra River over a distance of nearly 500 kilometers.
On August 9, the first information about a large number of dead fish in the Oder appeared on the German side; fishermen reported it. The Frankfurt (Oder) authorities warned the population a day later against contact with water from the Oder and eating fish from the river.
The investigating police became involved in the case on Thursday and seized water samples to determine the causes. At the same time, the municipalities on the Odra River gradually warned residents about the dangers of the river. The cause of the massive fish deaths is still being determined, and “preliminary research results are expected early this week,” dpa emphasizes.
So far, there are no clear causes of the disaster on the Oder. In early August, the Lower Silesian Environmental Protection Agency announced that a toxic substance – mesitylene – had been found in two places in water samples collected on July 28. However, in later samples, also taken elsewhere in the river, this substance was no longer found.
The suspicion, initially expressed by the German side that the cause of death of fish could be increased mercury levels, has not been confirmed either.
– adds dpa. According to information provided Monday by Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel, extensive water testing and further analyzes of fish are underway, including their behavior shortly before their deaths. Samples from the Odra River are tested for about 300 harmful substances, including pesticides.
According to official information, elevated oxygen levels have been found in the river. It is also being investigated whether the increased salinity in the water can be related to the massive death of the fish. As Vogel explains, more than one cause of fish kills is considered.
The drought and low water levels have almost certainly contributed to this
– the minister explained, noting that the entire ecosystem of the Odra River had been destroyed.
German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke noted on Monday that information about fish deaths reached the German side from Poland very late, making it “difficult to determine the cause of the damage”.
This information only reached Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki late last week. On Sunday, responsible ministers from Germany and Poland met for consultations to improve coordination
– adds dpa.
The Polish government suspects that the river may have been poisoned with chemical waste.
A huge amount of chemical waste probably ended up in the river with full awareness of the dangers and consequences
Prime Minister Morawiecki said that on Friday. Polish police have offered a reward of PLN 1 million for help finding the perpetrators, and the public prosecutor’s office is investigating.
Polish social media speculated that the pollution of the river was caused by a paper mill near Oława. However, the company denied this, explaining that it does not use mesitylene or mercury in its production.
Currently, the authorities of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern remain on standby, fearing the consequences of the contamination. The lagoon of Szczecin, which receives water from the Odra River and is connected to the Baltic Sea, is still observed.
Currently, samples are being taken from the lagoon for analysis
– Till Backhaus, Environment Minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern confirmed on Monday. Special dams have also been built in the Zalew Szczeciński to prevent the possible spread of dead fish.
olnk / PAP
Source: wPolityce