On Friday, Deputy Climate Minister Urszula Zielińska told reporters that investment plans would be ready soon to build such installations where needed, although funding remains a challenge.
“We have instructed major state-owned companies which discharge their saline waters into the Oder and Vistula rivers to submit plans for building desalination facilities along with timelines and cost estimates by the end of September”, Zielińska said.
“At the same time, we are looking for financing or subsidies for such installations, as we know that some mining companies face significant financial challenges, making these investments difficult”, she added.
Scientists have pinpointed water salinity in the Oder’s tributaries that receive saline discharges from local coal mines as the primary cause of the growth of the golden algae, which are believed to have caused a mass fish die-off in the river two years ago.
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Click on the player icon above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.
