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2022 Oder environmental disaster

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During the summer of 2022, a mass mortality event involving fish, beavers, clams, crayfish and other wildlife occurred in the Oder river.

2022 Oder environmental disaster
Dead fish in the Oder river on the border between Germany and Poland
Map
Large-scale fish die-offs were reported in the river around Oława at the end of July[1]
DateJuly–August 2022
LocationOder
TypeEnvironmental disaster
CauseHarmful algal bloom of Prymnesium parvum

Over 100 tonnes[2] of dead fish were removed from the Polish section of the river, and a further 35 tonnes from German sections,[3] causing concern that the water was poisoned.

At first the cause was not clear, theories included the effects of the summer heat and lower water levels due to the European drought, reduced oxygen levels due to the heat and nutrient loading, a spike in oxygen levels due to the introduction of an oxidizing agent, and pollution by chemicals including mercury, mesitylene, salts or other sewage, as well as the possibility of an algal bloom. It was later determined to be an algal bloom.

The Polish authorities were slow to react, causing a scandal and resulting in the dismissal of officials responsible for water management and environmental protection. A reward of 1 million zlotys (about €222,000, as of September 2023) was offered for information about possible culprits.[4]

Background

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The Oder flows through the city of Ostrava, across the Czech–Polish border, terminates the Gliwice Canal, passes through Lower Silesia including the city of Wrocław, and farther forms the German–Polish border until it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is engineered to carry heavy barge traffic.[citation needed]

Decades ago, the Oder river was extremely polluted before reaching Wrocław due to the heavy industrialization in Ostrava, Upper Silesia (connected through the Canal and the Kłodnica river having many large coal mines around), and Lower Silesia. Large chemical factories are in Kędzierzyn-Koźle at the Canal. Europe's largest coke (fuel) plant is located in Zdzieszowice just above Opole. Nowa Ruda (the 21st most polluted city in the European Union in 2015) with another coal mine lies in the mountains in the basin of Eastern Neisse, another of Oder's tributaries. The Jelcz factory is located near Oława just above Wrocław while a chemical plant - just below in Brzeg Dolny. Further west of Wrocław, in the basin of the Kaczawa tributary, lies Legnica with large copperworks KGHM and factories, whereas copper ore is mined in nearby Lubin. In the basin of the Bystrzyca (Oder) tributary, south of Legnica, there is the sizable city of Walbrzych with more coal mines, a coke plant, chemical and textile factories, which use chemical dyes and large amounts of water. In the basin of the Lusatian Neisse tributary, along which the Polish-German border is extended south of Oder, and south of Görlitz, lies the Turów coal mine supplying the nearby Turów Power Station with lignite often containing toxic heavy metals and sulfur.[citation needed]

As recently as 2012, the Oder transported over 100 tonnes of heavy metals in its waters into the Baltic Sea.[5][6]

Discovery

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The Oder drains a basin of 119,074 km2 (45,975 sq mi) in Czechia, Poland and Germany

Fish die-offs were reported by anglers around Oława as early as March 2022. Large die-offs then started again at the end of July 2022.[1] On 11 August 2022, volunteers and anglers removed at least 10 tonnes of dead fish from the 200 km (120 mi) stretch of the river north of Oława in southwest Poland.[7][8][9][10] The discovery was made by local fishermen, as opposed to any regulatory or testing body.[11] Other dead animals included beavers and birds.[12]

Cause

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Early on, it was suspected that the cause of the die-off was poisoning by an unknown toxic substance.[13] Water samples taken on 28 July showed a high probability of the presence of the contaminant mesitylene, although the Polish government claimed that it was not present on samples taken after 1 August.[7][14]

A German testing lab had found traces of mercury,[15] but the Polish government reported that their tests determined that mercury poisoning was not the cause of the die-off. According to them, it was caused by golden algae (likely Prymnesium parvum, which[16] prefer warm salty alkaline waters[17]). Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) have offered an interim hypothesis that the cause was golden algae.[18]

According to the Brandenburg Environment Minister, Axel Vogel, German laboratories believe the fish deaths may have been the result of large amounts of salt in the water.[19]

A February 2023 European Commission JRC report, which built on previous formal reports from both Germany and Poland concluded: "The direct cause of the ecological disaster in the Oder River was prymnesin toxins from Prymnesium parvum algae."[20]

Water quality testing

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Data gained via an automatic water quality measuring station in Frankfurt an der Oder (over 100 km (62 mi) downstream) indicated that from 4 August 2022 the electrical conductivity had climbed anomalously. This data also showed a large change in other water quality parameters. On 7 August 2022, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, and UV absorption almost doubled; nitrate levels plummeted and chlorophyll increased by a factor of ten. The water also became more turbid and its pH increased to about 8.8–9.2. This could indicate increased levels of salt in the river,[21] consistent with the conclusion that since 7 August 2022 a huge amount of salt reached the town.[22] The pH changes could also support the 'Golden Algae hypothesis'.[18]

Implications

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Dead fish as a result of the 2022 environmental disaster at the Oder river (13 August 2022)

The ecosystem of the river was severely damaged. Scientists are concerned that if the damage was caused by mercury poisoning, detrimental effects could be long term as mercury is a persistent heavy metal.[23] There are also potential serious health consequences for humans.[24]

Reaction

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Sign about the 2022 Oder river environmental disaster.

The Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki was put under pressure to act and fired two government officials as a result (the head of the water authority, Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie [pl], Przemysław Daca [pl], and the head of the environmental authority, Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection [pl], Michał Mistrzak [pl]).[25][26] This in turn caused internal rifts in the ruling Law and Justice party.[27]

Local residents reacted negatively to the government's actions,[28] and, with the state television avoiding reporting on the subject, widespread allegations of a government cover-up began.[29][30] Criticism also fell on the local voivodes.[27]

The Polish opposition blamed the Polish government for reacting slowly to the developing situation, and downplaying the scale of the problem.[31] The government said the perpetrators would be severely punished, while blaming opposition politicians, in particular Donald Tusk and Rafał Trzaskowski, for exaggerating the issue. The government media has compared the situation to other previous minor and unrelated events in Warsaw and Gdańsk, where the opposition Civic Platform holds power.[30] On 12 August, the deputy minister of infrastructure, Grzegorz Witkowski [pl], blamed the opposition and the ecologists, and stated that the river was safe to enter, and fishing is allowed.[32] Krystyna Pawłowicz, a Eurosceptic member of the Law and Justice party, has publicly suggested that other countries may be responsible for the contaminations.[33]

Some anglers fear that fish might never return to the river,[34] and Steffi Lemke, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, called the situation a catastrophe and a shocking ecological disaster.[35] German officials have also complained about the lack of communication from the Polish officials.[2]

Poles are very critical of government reactions, according to polls, in which more than 60% of responders said that they "disapprove of the government's response to the environmental disaster on the Oder River".[36][37]

References

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  1. ^ a b Stuart Braun (12 August 2022), Mysterious mass fish kill in Oder River: Climate change or poison?, DW News, archived from the original on 16 August 2022, retrieved 17 August 2022
  2. ^ a b "Poland pulls 100 tonnes of dead fish from Oder river after mystery mass die-off". the Guardian. 17 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Rare golden algae may have caused fish deaths in Oder River, says minister". www.theguardian.com. 19 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ^ Moody, Oliver; Olszanka, Paulina. "Mystery disaster leaves millions of fish dead in river on German/Polish border". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Tabl. 10.6 Odpływ metali ciężkich rzekami do Morza Bałtyckiego w 2012 r.". Rocznik statystyczny gospodarki morskiej 2013. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 21 January 2014. p. 338. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022. "Results of the State Environmental Monitoring in the field of Water Monitoring" by Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection
  6. ^ "official statistic". GIOS. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b Strzelecki, Marek (11 August 2022). "Dead fish in River Oder on Polish/German border spur contamination probe". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Ten tonnes of dead fish hauled out of polluted River Odra". www.thefirstnews.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Tonnes of dead fish pulled from River Oder in Poland as officials warn of possible contamination". Sky News. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Ecological catastrophe". ABCnews.go.com. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Wędkarz znad Odry: "boimy się". Czy poznamy prawdę?" [Angler from the Odra: "we are afraid". Will we know the truth?]. OnetKobieta (in Polish). 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  12. ^ Gera, Vanessa (12 August 2022). "Poland: 'Huge' amounts of chemical waste dumped into river". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Germany and Poland search for cause of mass fish die-off in river Oder". Reuters. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
  14. ^ S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Mass death of fish in River Oder raises environmental stink". tvpworld.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Wiadomo, co zatruło Odrę! SUBSTANCJA ZABÓJCZO NIEBEZPIECZNA DLA LUDZI" [It is known what poisoned the Odra River! LETHAL DANGEROUS FOR HUMANS]. Planeta. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Zatrucie Odry. Dziewięć absurdalnych wątków w tej sprawie" [Odra poisoning. Nine absurd threads on this matter]. www.onet.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  17. ^ "den Golden Alga, Prymnesium parvum" (PDF). Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Umweltkatastrophe an der Oder: IGB-Forschende verfolgen Spur potenziell giftiger Algen" [Environmental disaster on the Oder: IGB researchers follow the trail of potentially toxic algae]. www.igb-berlin.de. 17 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Rtęć w Odrze? Minister środowiska Brandenburgii: za śmierć ryb odpowiadają raczej ładunki soli" [Mercury in the Odra? Brandenburg Environment Minister: the salt charges are rather responsible for the deaths of the fish]. Onet Wiadomości (in Polish). 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  20. ^ An EU analysis of the ecological disaster in the Oder River of 2022: lessons learned and research based recommendations to avoid future ecological damage in EU rivers, a joint analysis from DG ENV, JRC and the EEA. Publications Office of the European Union. 1 February 2023. doi:10.2760/067386. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Odra zatruta. Dlaczego umierają zwierzęta i jakie zmiany zaszły w rzece?" [Odra poisoned. Why do animals die and what changes have occurred in the river?]. WP Tech (in Polish). 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Messtation Frankfurt an der Oder" [Measuring station Frankfurt an der Oder]. lfu.brandenburg.de. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  23. ^ ""Jeżeli faktycznie jest to rtęć, to koniec ekosystemu Odry, jaki do tej pory znaliśmy"" ["If it is mercury, then the end of the Odra ecosystem as we have known so far"]. TVN24 (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Rtęć w Odrze? Lekarze: ryzyko uszkodzeń narządów, a nawet zgonu" [Mercury in the Odra? Doctors: risk of organ damage and even death]. medonet.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Senior Polish officials sacked after mass fish die-off in Oder river". MSN. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  26. ^ ""Ręce opadają", "Na razie leci dwóch. Czekamy". Komentarze po decyzji Morawieckiego" ["Hands are down", "So far, there are two. We're waiting." Comments following Morawiecki's decision]. gazetapl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Wielkie pretensje do wojewodów po zatruciu Odry. GIOŚ nakazał pilne działania. "A oni nie zrobili nic"" [Great claims to voivodes after poisoning the Odra River. CIEP ordered urgent actions. "And they did nothing"]. gazetapl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  28. ^ "Magda mieszka nad samą Odrą. "Martwe ryby szybko się rozkładają, wręcz pękają"" [Magda lives on the Odra itself. "Dead fish decompose quickly, they even burst"]. noizz.pl (in Polish). 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  29. ^ Mrowicki, Rafał (11 August 2022). "O tym mówi cała Polska. TVP poświęciło 55 sekund" [All of Poland is talking about it. TVP spent 55 seconds]. wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  30. ^ a b Kuczera, Łukasz (12 August 2022). "Milczeli przez niemal kwadrans. "Wiadomości" TVP naprawdę to zrobiły" [They were silent for almost a quarter of an hour. TVP's "news" really did it]. wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  31. ^ Rybak, Marcin (18 August 2022). "Z dokumentów WIOŚ wynika, że przedstawiciele rządu kłamali w sprawie katastrofy ekologicznej na Odrze" [VIEP documents show that government representatives lied about the ecological disaster on the Odra River]. wroclaw.wyborcza.pl. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Wiceminister Witkowski o spóźnionej reakcji w sprawie Odry. "Bzdura. Trzaskowski zwlekał tydzień"" [Deputy Minister Witkowski on the delayed reaction in the case of the Odra River. "Nonsense. Trzaskowski delayed by a week"]. wiadomosci.onet.pl (in Polish). 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  33. ^ ŁKU (14 August 2022). "Pawłowicz szuka sprawców zatrucia Odry. Szybko została sprowadzona na ziemię" [Pawłowicz is looking for culprits of the Odra poisoning. She was quickly brought down to earth]. o2.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Odra skażona, wędkarze załamani. "Chce się płakać"" [Odra contaminated, fishermen are devastated. "One wants to cry"]. wiadomosci.onet.pl (in Polish). 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  35. ^ "Niemiecka ministerka o skażeniu Odry: Jestem wstrząśnięta. Zanosi się na katastrofę ekologiczną" [German minister on the contamination of the Odra river: I am shocked. It looks like an ecological disaster]. nextgazetapl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  36. ^ "Katastrofa na Odrze. Kto powinien ponieść odpowiedzialność? Sondaż dla "Faktów" TVN" [The disaster on the Oder river. Who Should Be Responsible? Poll for "Faktów" TVN]. tvn24.pl. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  37. ^ "Sondaż: 60,5 proc. Polaków źle ocenia działania rządu ws. katastrofy na Odrze" [Poll: 60.5 percent Poles have a bad opinion of the government's actions regarding the disaster on the Odra River]. rp.pl. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
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