Blausee environmental scandal (Swiss Press Local 2021, by Marius Aschwanden) - Swiss Press Award
BZ Berner Zeitung
Marius Aschwanden
In the spring of 2020 there are repeated incidents of large-scale fish death in the Blausee. The owners of the well-known nature park in the Bernese Kandertal valley suspect a connection to a major construction site in the Lötschberg tunnel, a few kilometres up the valley. Laboratory tests detect toxins in the dead fish and spring water; likewise, the excavated material from the rail tunnel is contaminated with heavy metals and carcinogenic substances. Rather than being disposed of at a decontamination facility, the waste was dumped in a nearby quarry where there is a risk of rain washing the pollutants into the groundwater. The relevant authorities react with hesitancy at first, then put a stop to the activities and finally admit that the toxic waste was dumped illegally. However, the connection to the death of the fish “has not been proven”. Nevertheless, 1000 tonnes of excavated material have to be dug back up, and criminal proceedings are initiated. In the end the same authority is forced to admit that it had given approval for the waste-soil to be moved into the gravel pit – by mistake.
Interview with Marius Aschwanden
