It has been reported that lakhs of fish died in Digaru River due to contamination of the river water from the industrial wastes that are drained into the same. This has however been denied by the fishery department which says that the water has been tested and found to be not polluted.
Speaking to G Plus, Sub-divisional Officer of Fishery, Kamrup (M), P. Ahmed said, “We have tested the water and found that the water itself is not polluted. However, there are many industries in the proximity and their wastes are being discharged into the river for which the fish have died. It is also suspected that the fish could have died because of the poison that has been used by the Lessees appointed by the district administration.” Lessees are authorized fishermen who hold permits to conduct fishing activities in the river. Apparently, they use a certain variety of poison which enables them to catch dead fish easily thereby boosting their business.
Ahmed said that many industries have been set up and as these fall under Meghalaya administration and Kamrup (M) district administration, the fishery department cannot come up with a solution. “Whenever we receive any complaint we immediately go to the spot and examine the water or the soil and prepare a report so that immediate steps can be taken.
According to information received by the revenue department, arsenic poisoning from the ground water is suspected to have mixed with the rivers in spate resulting in the death of various types of fish.
Stating that thousands of dead fish were seen floating on the rivers, revenue department sources feared that other aquatic beings might also have been affected. Environmentalists were also concerned about the loss of the fish in the river.
One of the local residents of Digaru said that the concerned departments are not taking any measures and that the fishery department is least bothered about the incident of the fish dying due to pollution. “Many beer factories have come up in the area. The waste discharged by these factories makes the water polluted but neither the administration nor the fishery department have taken any steps in this regard. This is the time when the fish lay eggs and fish population rises but the death of the fish will bring down the same,” the resident said.
Moreover, Ahmed said that as the river also falls in the state of Meghalaya, the fishery department cannot restrict the discharge of waste into the river. Rather the administration should take steps to control the industrial wastes from being discharged into the river. It has also been noticed that people had occupied government land near the Digaru River. They have been evicted by the administration as these people used the river water for various household purposes polluting it in the process.
While the evicted people have claimed that they have been living there for many years, the government authorities claim that they have no land documents. It has also been alleged by the officers that the people migrated from other places and started living near the river’s banks using the river water for household purposes and thereby polluting it.
The fishery department has been given an annual target of 26570 MT of fish production till March 2016 and it has achieved 25065.5 MT which is quite close to the target. It has been said by Ahmed that the production of fish is increasing and that the local fish is now available in every market. People are losing the tendency to buy coarse fish. Some varieties of fish which were difficult to find earlier in the market are now easily available which signifies that the production of fish is increasing.
- Lakhs of fish died in Digaru River due to contaminated water
- The fishery department achieved 25065.5 MT of fish production against the assigned annual target of 26570 MT
- Production of fish is increasing according to the fishery department
- The industrial waste discharged into the river is another reason for the death of the fish
- Many beer factories have been established in the nearby area which pollutes the environment
By: Juthika Baruah
Posted On :: Saturday 21st May 2016
