€200,000 reward offered for information on mystery environmental catastrophe in Germany

Reward of €200,000 offered as tons of dead fish are removed from the River Oder in Germany, with the cause of this environmental catastrophe remaining a mystery.

As reported by br.de on Saturday, August 13, mystery still surrounds an environmental catastrophe that has struck the German-Polish border Oder river, leaving many fish dead. Polish authorities have offered a reward of one million zlotys (more than €200,000) for anybody who comes forward with information.

Authorities in Germany suspect the cause to have originated in Poland and have warned that it could have a knock-on effect on the Baltic Sea.

⚡️ Because of the drought in Germany and the leakage of a toxic substance in the Oder River, fish began to die en masse.

Mayor of the German city of Schwedt on the border with Poland, Annekathrin Hoppe, said: pic.twitter.com/0xn3E69chr

— BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) August 13, 2022

On the evening of Friday, August 12, the Ministry of the Environment in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania warned of the effects on the Szczecin Lagoon. Depending on wind and current conditions, they expected the loads to reach the mouth of the Oder near Szczecin in Poland today.

Previous laboratory analyses did not produce any precise information about the pollution of the water or the causes. Since the cause of the environmental disaster is suspected to be in Poland, accusations have already been made in Germany that the neighbouring country did not provide information about it in good time.

As a precaution, the Ministry of the Environment called on residents to refrain from fishing in and taking water from the water. The responsible authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are currently preparing water and fish samples.

A reporter from the dpa news agency said that on the Oder in the Brandenburg town of Lebus – not far from Frankfurt – an unpleasant smell has spread due to the decomposition of the fish. Birds have also been seen carrying away dead fish.

Hundreds of helpers in eastern Brandenburg have helped collect the dead animals. Thomas Rubin, the district spokesman for Markisch-Oderland said that around 300 emergency services have been on the road for around 80km since Saturday morning. “I reckon they took out several tons of fish”, he added.

⚡️ Fish are dying en masse in the Oder River on the border of Poland and Germany.

Volunteers pulled out of the polluted water about 10 tons of dead individuals. Experts studied the liquid in the river and found heavy metals in it, mostly mercury. pic.twitter.com/dZaR1MUvar

— BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) August 12, 2022

Rubin pointed out that boats are also being used, with the fish carcasses placed in garbage bags, which are collected at several locations and then placed in containers. After collecting the fish on Saturday, the disposal in the Markisch-Oderland district is expected to continue on Monday, August 15 he said.

So far 28 tons dead fish have been collected from #OderRiver.
Two dead storks were also found dead.
The entire flora and fauna of the Oder Valley is in danger.
The scale of this environmental annihilation makes my heart bleed.
Still no info on the culprit.

🎥 unknown, fb pic.twitter.com/FcSq7hgTbn

— Agata Tumiłowicz-Mazur (@aga_tumilowicz) August 13, 2022

Polish authorities have offered a reward of the equivalent of €210,000 for information on who or what caused the water pollution. Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik announced on Saturday that “a reward of one million zlotys should help find those responsible for this environmental disaster”.

UWAGA❗️WAŻNY KOMUNIKAT❗️ Komendant Główny @PolskaPolicja gen.insp. Jarosław Szymczyk wyznaczył nagrodę w wysokości 1 mln zł (1000000 zł) za wskazanie osoby odpowiedzialnej za zanieczyszczenie rzeki Odra lub posiadającej istotne informacje mogące doprowadzić do ustalenia sprawców! pic.twitter.com/8jje6EcUAc

— Polska Policja 🇵🇱 (@PolskaPolicja) August 13, 2022

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s Prime Minister,  admitted that he was informed on “August 9 or 10”, although there had been initial indications of water pollution and dead fish at the end of July. “It is clear that I found out too late. The authorities concerned should have informed me earlier”, said Morawiecki.

Trwa posiedzenie sztabu kryzysowego dot. sytuacji na rzece Odra z udziałem premiera @MorawieckiM. pic.twitter.com/jO0J9pnpjV

— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) August 13, 2022

The extent of the pollution is “very large, large enough to say that the Oder will take years to return to its natural state”, Morawiecki stressed. Last Friday, August 12, the head of government dismissed Przemyslaw Daca, the head of the Polish water protection agency, along with Michal Mistrzak, the chief inspector of the environmental protection agency. He accused the latter of “acting too slowly”.

Podzielam obawy i oburzenie związane z zatruciem Odry.Tej sytuacji w żaden sposób nie można było przewidzieć,ale reakcja odpowiednich służb mogła nastąpić szybciej. Podjąłem decyzję o natychmiastowej dymisji:szefa Wód Polskich P.Dacy oraz GIOŚ M.Mistrzakahttps://t.co/KuqJVMbSeq

— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) August 12, 2022

The Polish government had been massively criticized both in its own country and in Germany in the past few days because it had not reacted to the environmental catastrophe sooner. “An environmental catastrophe is looming here”, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke told the German media.

On the German side, the authorities had received the first indications of an unusual fish kill on Tuesday, August 9. As a result, they issued warnings to the population in rapid succession and initiated countermeasures.

Among other things, people were asked to avoid contact with the water and not to use it. Bodies of water such as the so-called Alte Oder were separated to prevent contaminated water from entering.

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