First dead fish seen in Danube
2010-10-07 19:27
Budapest - The first dead fish have been sighted in Europe's second-longest river, the Danube, following a spill of toxic mud in Hungary, a regional chief for the disaster relief services told AFP on Thursday.
"I can confirm that we have seen sporadic losses of fish in the main branch of the Danube," Tibor Dobson said.
"The fish have been sighted at the confluence of the Raba with the Danube," where water samples had shown a pH value of 9.1, he said.
"Fish cannot survive at pH 9.1," the official added.
Water alkalinity is a measure of river contamination, and on a scale of 1-14, pH values of 1-6 are acid, 6-8 is neutral, and readings of 8-14 are alkaline.
"In order to save the river's ecosystem, the pH level must be brought down to below 8," Dobson said.
When the spill first occurred on Monday afternoon, readings of 13.5 were taken in the nearby Torna river.
The tiny Torna stream flows into the Marcal, which is a tributary of the Raba, which in turn flows into the Danube.
Readings earlier on Thursday showed pH levels of around 10 in the Torna.