Pig complex pollutes dam near Aksakovo and causes loss of 20 tons of fish, institutions estimate damage from eco-disaster

More than 20 tons of dead fish were found in Zasmyano Dam near Aksakovo, Varna region, there are more fish at the bottom of the dam, commented Ivaylov Valkov from the concessionaire of the dam this morning on BNT. The tenant cannot handle transporting the fish to the slaughterhouse alone because it is unusable. The institutions are still assessing the amount of damage from the environmental disaster.

The District Prosecutor's Office in Varna is conducting pre-trial proceedings to clarify the case with a large amount of dead fish in the dam, the press service of the state prosecution announced. A team of investigators from the police in Varna was sent to the scene, the regional inspectorate for environment and water and the Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, which are involved in clarifying the case, were notified.

On March 25 in RIEW-Varna on "Green Phone" received a signal for pollution of the waters of the dam "Zasmyano" with fertilizers from the pig farm in the village of Lyuben Karavelovo, municipality. Aksakovo, reported by the regional eco-inspection. In the course of the inspection, no water sample was taken from the wastewater after the manure storage facilities, as there was no leakage during the same, the eco-inspection explained. But according to the tenant, it is not possible that none of the institutions took water samples to properly assess the extent of the environmental disaster.

The tenant will take measures to refresh the water and preserve the fish by coming higher water from a water source, which is located from a water source, which is located above the water cascade and polluted water is discharged from the dam through an exhaust tap, the goal is to remove all fish on the surface and be transported, Valkov told BNT.

The activities of the inspected site - installation for intensive breeding of pigs are carried out according to a complex permit issued by the Executive Agency for Environment, reminded by RIEW-Varna. The owner of the pig farm is Agro Sip.

Industrial wastewater is discharged into 5 specialized facilities - manure storage facilities, which are cascading, on the principle of connected vessels connected to each other by pipeline connections. During a conversation with the deputy head of the pig farm present at the inspection, it was established that earlier in the day (Friday around 12 o'clock) an emergency situation occurred concerning spillage of wastewater from manure storage №2 due to clogging of the pipe to manure storage №3. Immediate actions were taken to clean the clogged section of the pipe and eliminate the accident.

The dead fish is of the species white and variegated silver carp, carp, grass carp, cockroach. The total number of observed specimens is about 50, the eco-inspection announced on Friday. "Zasmyano" is part of a cascade of dams along the Suha River. It is intended for breeding and rearing aquaculture and is not used for drinking and irrigation.

The dead fish is expected to be removed from the dam on Monday, and additional inspections by the responsible institutions are expected. The Eco-Inspection in Varna did not announce what the sanction for the pig farm will be, 3eNews is waiting for answers to its questions about the consequences of the ecological disaster and what sanction the violating company faces, as well as what measures should be taken to avoid such a dramatic ecological disaster.