A lot has changed in two years – water poisoning does not have the same political potential as before, consultations with the scientific community and the social side take place on an ongoing basis, we know where the crisis management is located and how decisions are made, the Minister of Climate and the Voivode are on site, not on vacation. But at the same time, not much has changed – fish are dying, the water is salty, algae are multiplying rapidly in the Gliwice Canal. Because what would change? In addition to dead fish, Lake Dzierżno Duże also contains high salinity, heavy metals, advanced eutrophication, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organic pollutants. No wonder, because the reservoir itself is a former settling pond for post-industrial waters, and Kłodnica receives sewage from the highly industrialized part of Silesia. Until now, algae have been multiplying in the Gliwice Canal, but the locks have been operated so that they do not enter subsequent sections. Until then.
The death of the lake’s fish has been known since the beginning of August, as fishermen have been raising awareness about it, demanding, among other things, that the reservoir be placed under constant monitoring, which they have not received. From August 5, the use of the lake is prohibited, and from August 12, the waters of Kłodnica are the subject of an experiment in which perhydrol (H2O2) in a smaller quantity than after the 2022 disaster is added to the running water, not yet for irrigation. The Ministry of Climate assures that laboratory tests and a natural inventory were carried out in advance and that it is safe for parts of fish and invertebrates. The word “parts” seems to be key here. At the same time, on August 16, the Ministry of Infrastructure decided to announce that Polish scientists had made a “world-class breakthrough” by inventing a silicon-based coagulant that eliminates the development of golden algae.
It is good that experiments and scientific research are being carried out and that they are producing results, and that we are able to react in some way in an emergency situation. But this fight against golden algae is like a bandage on a bullet wound. In fact, the problem is not the water itself, but the transformed and polluted aquatic environment. PiS’s response to the situation on the Odra River was a special act aimed at facilitating hydrotechnical investments. KO’s response is the announcement of the renaturalization of the Oder, which is a more sensible direction in the context of algae, but does not change the basic problem: silent consent to the disposal of industrial sewage through rivers. Of course, a desalination plant cannot be built overnight. But it is not clear why the fees for the discharge of brine into rivers are still ridiculously low and do not provide an incentive for industrial plants to try to change their policies. It is no secret that the Ministry of Industry has a completely different opinion from the Ministry of Climate on the necessary changes. The Ministry of Infrastructure is still responsible for the rivers, and river monitoring has so far been managed by a unit subordinate to the Minister of Agriculture. So you can see that a lot has changed, but not enough. When the fish will start dying again is an open question. ©℗
