German minister denounces ecological disaster in Oder . river

Warsaw, Poland — Germany’s environment minister said the massive die-off of fish in the Oder River is an ecological catastrophe and it is not yet clear how long it will take for the river to recover.

Steffi Lemke spoke at a press conference on Sunday with her Polish counterpart, Anna Moskwa, after meeting in Szczecin, a Polish city on the Oder River.

The Oder runs from the Czech Republic to the border between Poland and Germany and empties into the Baltic Sea. Ten tons of dead fish were taken out last week, but Mokswa said the cause of the mass die-off has still not been determined.

“At least 150 water samples from the Oder River have been tested so far. None of the studies have confirmed the presence of toxic substances. At the same time, we test fish. No mercury or other heavy metals have been found in it,” she said.

She said some Oder water samples were sent to foreign labs to be tested for about 300 substances.

Both ministers said they would now do everything possible to limit damage to the river’s ecosystem.

Lemke suggested German authorities were not alerted soon enough after dead fish were discovered in Poland and said communication between the two countries needs to be improved.