Poland has deployed soldiers to help clean up the Oder River, which runs along the border with Germany, after 10 tons of dead fish surfaced from the waterway in what one official described as an 'ecological catastrophe.'
An association of fishers in Zielona Gora, a city in Western Poland, said Friday that it was suspending fishing in the river due to still-unconfirmed reports in the German media saying the river could be contaminated with mercury.
“We are most likely dealing with a crime where a substance was introduced into the water that causes the death of fish and other organisms. This is currently being verified,” Jacek Ozdoba, Poland’s deputy climate and environment minister, said.Poland’s political opposition and local residents have accused the government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of being too slow to confront the problem.
“This shows that we are dealing with a gigantic and outrageous ecological catastrophe,” he said at a news conference held near the river, where officials faced angry local residents. Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak announced Thursday that both regular soldiers and reservists were being deployed to help remove pollutants from the river, which is known as the Oder in German and the Odra in Polish and Czech. It flows northward for hundreds of miles from the Oder Mountains of Czechia and empties in the Baltic Sea.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Wildfires spread, fish die off amid severe drought in EuropeMore than 1,000 firefighters were struggling Thursday to contain a major wildfire which has burned a large area of pine forest in southwestern France, in a region that was already ravaged by flames last month.
Read more »
Elevated mercury levels found in Patagonia fish prompt consumption advisoryThe Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and Arizona Game and Fish Department is issuing a fish consumption advisory for fish caught in Patagonia Lake in Santa Cruz County.
Read more »
Gas Leak Leaves Strong Odor Wafting Across South Jersey: PoliceBREAKING: Authorities are investigating a truck stop off of Interstate 295 in Gloucester County after numerous reports of a strong odor in neighborhoods across South Jersey:
Read more »
21,000 Fish Die in ‘Catastrophic Failure' at UC DavisAbout 21,000 fish died of possible chlorine exposure at a University of California, Davis research and care facility, school officials said Thursday.
Read more »
Driver dies in Tacoma while being taken into police custodyThe Pierce County Force Investigation Team is investigating after a driver died as authorities took them into custody in Tacoma on Tuesday night.
Read more »
New Report Calls for Action Regarding Potential Risks of Sunscreen UV FiltersA report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine urges the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate the ecological and human health risks of commonly used sunscreen UV filters.
Read more »