Erfurt (dpa/th) – Around 7.8 million liters of water-polluting substances were released in Thuringia last year as a result of accidents – around ten times more than in the previous year. The number of accidents fell from 86 to 68 in 2021 compared to 2020, as the State Statistical Office announced on Tuesday based on information from the responsible authorities. A large part of the leaked liquids is therefore due to an accident in which around six million liters of liquid manure and liquid manure leaked.
According to the information, substances such as manure, liquid manure and fermentation residues accounted for a large part (around 99 percent) of the substances released. These substances are not assigned to any water hazard class, but since very large quantities escape in the event of an accident, they pose a certain risk potential. Around 7.7 million liters of the amount released was removed from the accident sites and reused or disposed of.
According to the statisticians, 38 of the accidents in 2021 occurred during transport, the other 30 during storage, filling or handling, i.e. when handling substances hazardous to water. In 33 of the transport accidents, the danger came from mineral oil products such as petrol, diesel and heating oil. More than half of this was due to human error.