Germany: thousands of dead fish on the Oder

Volunteers collect dead fish from the water of the Oder River on the German-Polish border in Lebus, eastern Germany, Saturday August 13, 2022. © AP / Patrick Pleul

Text by: Pascal Thibaut Follow

1 min

" 

": this is how the German Minister of the Environment described the situation in the Oder where thousands of dead fish are floating in the water.

The river originates in Poland where massive pollution is suspected.

The Oder marks the border with Germany downstream before flowing into the Baltic Sea to the north. 

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With our correspondent in Berlin,

"

," worries the mayor of Schwedt, a town on the banks of the Oder, a natural border with Poland.

Annekathrin Hoppe fears lasting consequences for the environment in the region.

Volunteers, their hands protected by gloves, are busy picking up huge quantities of dead fish.

Contact with skin and water should be avoided.

Regional authorities in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg recommend that residents stay away from water and avoid eating fish.

In the latter region, further north, there is concern about the consequences of the disaster for the Baltic Sea. 

Tests are underway in Germany to determine its origin.

Some results highlight the unusually high presence of mercury in the water, but also an abnormal salinity level. 

Germany's environment minister demanded a full investigation to determine the causes of what she called an " 

".

The ecologist Steffi Lemke had exchanged, Friday August 12, with his Polish counterpart.

Berlin regretted that the neighboring country where the origin of the disaster is supposed did not notify the German authorities in good time. 

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• Germany

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• Poland

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• Pollution