A scandal has erupted in Poland because of its possible mishandling of chemical waste that has caused the deaths of tons of fish in the wetterm Oder river. This river is along the border with Germany and is expected to take many years to recover. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has vowed to hold the perpetrators of the dumping to account.
Germany has reported that the poison is mercury, but this has now been revised as mercury couldn’t cause that much damage that fast. The fish near the Polish town of Olawa have been removed, but investigations are underway to determine the cause of the mass die-off. 10 tons of dead fish have been removed from the river, but the number is expected to keep rising.
Germany accuses Poland that it failed to notify officials about the possible contamination of the river. Meanwhile, Polish officials are deploying soldiers and suspending fishing in the river because of the scale of the pollution and the length of time it will take for the ecosystem to recover.
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Mariusz Blaszczak announced on Thursday that soldiers and reservists were being deployed to help remove pollutants from the river. The river flows north into the Baltic Sea and is known as the Oder in German and the Odra in Polish and Czech.
Polish authorities deny the allegations.
