Environmentalists on Friday criticized the passage of a controversial law in Poland to revive the Oder River, which has suffered from toxic algae that caused mass fish deaths last year. A toxic algae explosion hit a river on Poland’s border with Germany last summer, and at least 300 tons of dead fish were pulled from the water as tensions escalated between the two countries.

In response to the environmental disaster, Warsaw passed a new law Thursday night, which requires the construction of new water treatment plants and aims to impose stricter requirements on industrial plants. But Greenpeace said in a statement on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, that the government “ignored the voice of the public and scientists” when passing the law.

They criticized the lack of consultation and said the bill “would not protect the Oder” and would continue to be polluted. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had previously criticized the bill for focusing “more regulation on the Oder (and other rivers) that would further destroy the ecosystem and its ability to self-clean”.

The law allows the construction of new infrastructure, including the modernization of sewer systems and the construction of new water treatment plants estimated to cost around 9.5 billion zloty ($2.3 billion).

The new law also forces large industrial facilities, such as mines, to invest in systems to reduce brine emissions. The toxic algae bloom, which says there is “insufficient information” about the cause, was triggered by high levels of salt entering the water, according to Germany’s environment ministry.

Poland also blamed poisonous algae for the mass fish deaths, but said the disaster was most likely caused by poor water quality as a result of high temperatures and very low water levels. Polish and German officials on both sides of the river have said they plan to stop future disasters, but differ on responsibility and the best way to control the algae. Source