Hundreds of dead fish found floating in river at Paradip

KalingaTV News Network

Paradip: Residents were left in a state of panic in PPL Township on Monday after hundreds of dead fish were found floating in Bata river near Balijhara slum under Paradip police limits.

The incident came to light after some fish traders of the slum came across the carcasses in the morning during netting. They later informed the matter to the district administration as well as the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).

While the exact cause of the fish deaths on such a large scale is yet to be ascertained, the locals have blamed illegal fish traders for the menace.

“Police had seized the nets of some fish thieves from the river a few days ago in a crackdown on illegal fishing in the area. Those miscreants might have poisoned the river to avenge the action,” guessed a slum dweller. However, he insisted that the exact cause would be revealed once the sample test is done.

The SPCB had collected water sample from the river in 2016 after hundreds of fresh water fish, including Rohu, Mrigal and Catla were found lifeless on the riverbed. At that time, industrial pollution had been blamed chiefly for the fish and aquatic animal deaths.