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‘The problem is enormous’: Chemical spill suspected in massive German fish die-off

Booms are being set up on the Oder to trap tonnes of poisoned fish carcasses. <i>Photo: AP</i>

Booms are being set up on the Oder to trap tonnes of poisoned fish carcasses. Photo: AP

Polish and German environmental detectives are attempting to trace the origin of a suspect chemical spill that has already killed tonnes of fish in the Oder river.

The as yet unidentified toxin appears to be the only explanation for the  mass die-off of fish, officials from both counties say.

An analysis of river water taken this week showed evidence of “synthetic chemical substances, very probably also with toxic effects for vertebrates”, the German state of Brandenburg’s environment ministry said on Thursday.

According to local German broadcaster RBB, the state laboratory found high levels of mercury in the water samples.

However, Wladyslaw Dajczak, head of Poland’s Lubusz province, said that tests run on August 10 and 11 showed mercury was found only in “trace amounts”, well within allowed levels.

He said a barrier would be set up on the Oder near the city of Kostrzyn to collect dead fish flowing down the river, with 150 Territorial Defence Forces soldiers delegated to help with the clean-up.

The head of Poland’s national water management authority said the situation was serious and that by Thursday evening Poland had collected more than 11 tonnes of dead fish.

Hundreds of kilometres ruined

“In my opinion, there was chemical contamination on the Oder River by some industrial plant,” Przemyslaw Daca, the head of Polish Waters, was quoted as saying by Polish Radio 24.

“(It) is being investigated by the prosecutor’s office, the police and local environmental protection inspectorates.

“The problem is enormous, the wave of pollution runs from Wroclaw to Szczecin. Those are hundreds of kilometres of river, the pollution is gigantic.”

A spokesperson for the German environment minister told a news conference on Friday that they were following the situation closely, and that it was not yet clear what had got into the water.

“We have an incomplete picture,” the spokesperson said. “We need clarity on what materials are in the water.”

-with AAP

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