Poland, Germany discuss avoiding repeat of deadly river pollution but ready for all scenarios

Article content

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The environment ministers of Poland and Germany met at the border between the two countries on Wednesday to discuss protecting a river from the deadly recurring pollution that killed hundreds of tons of fish last year.

Polish Environment Minister Anna Moskowa said she could not rule out another disaster despite tight monitoring along the Oder River and preventing illegal dumping of chemicals and waste in order to prevent the growth of deadly golden algae.

Article content

Article content

“We are sure that we did and we will do everything we can on our side,” Moscowa said. “However, keeping in mind … the limited knowledge about algae in the world and … their aggressive nature, we anticipate each scenario.

“We prepare ourselves for each scenario – the positive and the negative,” she said.

Moscowa met German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke in Slobice, on the border with Germany, to discuss ways to protect the Oder River, which the two countries share.

They said the ecosystem appears to be rebuilding after last summer’s disaster, in which up to 400,000 tons of dead fish were pulled from the Oder when the high temperatures and high salinity of the river from chemical discharges led to the growth of golden algae. Most of the discharge was from the Polish extension of the river.

Article content

Article content

Lemke said Polish industry, especially coal mines, should refrain from draining into the river during the hot summer months, noting that the environmental catastrophe of 2022 was caused by algae growth due to the high temperature combined with the river’s high salinity and low water level. levels. It was the worst natural disaster in the Oder for many years.

The German minister said that she and Moscow did not always get along and that cooperation “wasn’t always easy”.

Climate activist Dominica LaSota told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the situation in the Oder will improve if Moscowa does its work responsibly and “stops the mines, which continue to discharge brine into rivers,” she said.

Article content

LaSota said the long-term solution would be to transition to renewable energy sources.

She said Greenpeace and other environmental organizations warn that some discharges will continue, threatening a repeat of the deadly pollution.

But Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday that his cabinet members are “patrons and protectors of the black coal and lignite mines in Poland, and we will not allow the coal mines in Poland to be closed.”

Lemke said on Tuesday that measurements still show high levels of “brine” pollution in the water, which, if temperatures remain high, could lead to another toxic algal bloom in the coming months.

“That is why we urgently need to prevent further pollution of the Oder River and do everything so that this delicate ecosystem can recover,” Lemke said in a statement.

The Oder River, which is about 840 kilometers (520 miles) long, begins in the Czech Republic but mostly passes through southwestern Poland and along the border with Germany, before emptying into the Baltic Sea.

——

Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Berlin.

Article content