Polish officials think that 100 tonnes of dead fish were poisoned; as a result, they have sent river samples overseas in an effort to identify the problem.
The dead fish in the Oder river, which have also been discovered drifting into Germany since Friday, needed to be recovered, and more than 500 firemen were required.
In order to determine the precise reason, Polish authorities have stated that they believe chemical waste was thrown into the river. To that aim, they are sending samples to the UK, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
Due to the large number of dead fish, recovery methods such as dams, oats, quad bikes, and even drones have been deployed.
German authorities have charged Poland’s government with failing to respond quickly after large fish fatalities were initially reported by fishermen at the end of July.
The Polish government has now committed to identify the source and punish those accountable for the river water pollution.
“It seems possible that vast amounts of chemical waste were thrown into the river with full awareness of the danger and repercussions,” stated Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland.
“We are committed to make every individual and every entity involved for this sort of tragedy pay the penalties,” the chief of staff to the prime minister, Michal Dworczyk, said.
The head of the environmental protection inspectorate and the CEO of Polish Waters, the state-owned business in charge of managing water resources, have both been removed by the prime minister in reaction to the fatalities.
In an effort to “assist uncover those guilty for this environmental tragedy,” the government of Poland has now made a £180,0000 reward.
However, according to Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa, “none of the samples analysed so far have revealed the presence of harmful compounds” and the government is instead focusing on natural factors and rising temperatures as potential explanations.
Others have voiced concern about what the widespread deaths would imply for the local eco-system.
‘We have to observe how the bird population grows and what will happen to the racoons and otters,’ Karina Dork, a district administrator of Germany’s Uckermark area, told the Tagesspiegel daily.
It’s a calamity that will affect us for years, says the speaker.
The Oder was regarded as a clean river and is home to 40 domestic fish species.