Polish authorities have detected the presence of poisonous golden algae in the waters of the Oder River bordering Germany, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
Poisonous golden algae were dumped into the river from the Gliwice Canal, the crisis unit of the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment announced.
The highest degree of danger has been declared for the section of the river in the area of the city of Lani, southeast of Wrocław.
Since last week, a large amount of dead fish has been observed in the Gliwice Canal, which branches off from the Oder. According to experts, "the ability of golden algae to thrive in the rapid waters of the Oder is limited compared to the stagnant waters of the canal,", the ministry said in a press release.
An additional factor increasing the threat is the low level of the Oder since the beginning of May. The Gliwice Canal, which was opened in 1939, is 41 km long and connects the Upper Silesian city of Gliwice with the Oder.
In the summer of 2022, there was again a mass fish die-off in the waters of the Oder. Experts in Germany and Poland concluded that the most likely cause of the fish plague was a bloom of the golden alga Prymnesium parvum.
The crisis team will now focus their efforts mainly on making sure that as little as possible of the golden algae that has spread in the Gliwice Canal reaches the Oder.
To this end, the Polish River Water Management Office has been instructed to minimize the opening of the canal's sluice gates and closely monitor water flows. Regular checks are also made on the state of the water and the surrounding terrain along it.