The Polish water authority has discovered 282 unlawful wastewater discharge points in connection with the fish die-off in the Oder River, the stream separating much of Germany and Poland.
Investigators are determining where the illegal pipes are coming from, and to whom they belong, the head of the water authority, Krzysztof Wos, stated on Tuesday. Police are involved on 57 of the cases.
Masses of dead fish have been discovered along the Oder River in recent weeks, on both Polish and German shores.
The cause of this environmental disaster is currently unclear, however toxic algae was detected in water samples collected in both Poland and Germany. Several other potentially harmful substances have been found in the river as well. It is possible the fish die-off was caused by a damaging combination of substances in the water.
While German authorities only became aware of the extreme fish die-off on August 9, Poland had seen indications in late July. Germany has accused the Polish authorities of reporting the issue too late, making the investigation more difficult.
Once the ecological crisis came to light, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki dismissed both the head of the water authority and the head of the environmental authority.
