An investigation is underway in Seine-et-Marne to determine the origin of sugar pollution in a portion of the Loing canal, where a very large number of fish have died from asphyxiation since October 26, he said. we learned this Monday, November 4 from the authorities.
According to the secretary general of the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, Sébastien Lime, the pollution which affects the Loing canal between Souppes-sur-Loing and Bagneaux-sur-Loing is linked to the presence of sugar. “Analyzes have demonstrated the presence of sucrose in the water. But investigations have not yet been able to establish where it comes from,” Mr. Lime told AFP.
The services of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the Inspection of Classified Facilities have reviewed “all nearby industrial installations”, said Mr. Lime. “The various administrative inspections have not yet made it possible to identify the source,” he stressed.
According to the website of the Bureau for the Analysis of Industrial Risks and Pollution (BARPI), “pollution of a watercourse by a sugar factory” was referenced in November 2019 in Seine-et-Marne, further north, at Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne. At the time, this pollution came from “a sugar factory located upstream”, “following a crack on a dike in the skimming basin”.
“An investigation is underway,” confirmed to AFP the Fontainebleau prosecutor’s office, which did not wish to communicate further.
From October 26, operations were carried out to remove dead fish from the canal bed and preserve the fish still alive. And the authorities are gradually emptying the reaches (parts of the canal between two locks) concerned.
“Carp, perch, pike, eels, catfish, roach, catfish… A very large quantity of fish have died,” notes the president of the Seine-et-Marne federation for fishing and protection of the aquatic environment. . , Philippe Gavelle, contacted by AFP.
Picked up by association volunteers, fishermen or local residents, they were placed in skips. But the federation prefers to wait before assessing the extent of this mortality because “a certain quantity of dead fish remains at the bottom”.
“There were local fishermen in tears on the first day,” said Mr. Gavelle, evoking their pleasure of fishing but also their concern to protect the aquatic environment. The federation “will quickly file a complaint”, he said, to “prevent the recurrence of such events”.
