Researchers affiliated with the Polish Academy of Sciences have published results of their investigation into one of the biggest ecological catastrophes in Polish history.
In their view, the environmental catastrophe was triggered by an array of factors, including low water levels, heavy metal pollution and very high temperatures.
Poland’s most prominent scientists pointed out that all the factors that contributed to the disaster were either directly or indirectly induced by human activity.
“The water resources crises are mainly caused by mismanagement and are more of a socio-political rather than technical or natural character,” according to the scientists.
The authors of the report also called for a greater transparency and social control over water management.
Meanwhile, key politicians of the ruling Law and Justice have been veering from the hypothesis of human-induced contamination towards the one involving “natural causes”.
Last month, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the mass die-off of fish was caused by natural factors.
A government-issued report is set to be released on 30 September.
The environmental catastrophe on the Oder River is estimated to have killed between 200 and 400 tonnes of fish, making up 25-50% of the entire fish population inhabiting in the Oder.
Poland has recently earmarked nearly 3 million euros to recuperate the Oder.
(pjm)
Source: Nauka w Polsce