More than a ton of dead fish was taken from the Oder River in the Gliwice Canal region of Poland in June. In 2022, tens of thousands of fish perished as a result of poisonous golden algae, which grew considerably greater owing to high water temperatures and salinity.
"Our experts are working on the river, taking water samples and counting the number of mussels and fish. Unfortunately, the news is bad: the fish population has been cut in half. Many of the mussels that clean the river have died off. The answer is to reduce salinity. We have a controllable aspect, however, we cannot control the drought, weather, or extreme temperatures. We can influence salinity, and then the next step is to restore the river's natural nature," says Krzysztof Smolnicki, a spokesperson of the movement "Save the Oder."
The Polish government has formed a crisis management team and is working to eliminate the algae. The Ministry of Climate and Environment informs that biologists collect water samples and test their physical and chemical features on a regular basis.
"A group of experts made several recommendations to the Government Security Center, including cutting off oxbow lakes from the Oder River, where golden algae can reproduce more easily. Another aspect is the construction of filters that prevent water from flowing from lakes into the mainstream of the river," said Alexander Brzoska, a representative of the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
Many independent scholars, activists, and attorneys have reacted negatively to the government's activities and planned restrictions and revealed that the authorities are not addressing either the Oder River problem or the worldwide problem of climate change.
"The rivers in Poland are in poor condition. More than 98% of the rivers are in poor condition, and it appears that the judicial system is ineffective. Responsibilities are blurred: there are several entities responsible for river management, but there is no cooperation among them. In addition, there is no effective supervision over licenses that govern what, when, and how much can be discharged into rivers. This law does not address structural issues. It is also damaging since it calls for expenditures in hydraulic systems such as dams and reservoirs. The idea of cutting the Oder has nothing to do with its renationalization," says Agata Shafraniuk, an activist with the Client Earth group.
Summer warming and rising temperatures are predicted to generate further algal blooms, which will harm fish in Polish waterways.
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