Dead fish spotted in Teesta River, probe initiated

Dibyendu Sinha, MP, 30 Oct 2023, Jalpaiguri: After 2018, there has been another plague of fish in the Teesta River. On Monday, local residents spotted various small species of fish, including Borli, Punti and Khoksa, floating dead in the Teesta River at the Number One Spar area of Jubilee Park, adjacent to Jalpaiguri city. 

As the news spread, a group of locals hurried to collect the dead fish. The district Fisheries department has already arrived at the scene to investigate the exact cause of the fish plague. 

The district Fisheries department is launching a campaign to prevent fishing in an area approximately ten kilometers long, stretching from the Teesta Bridge to Mandalghat. Panic has gripped the Jubilee Park area due to this fish epidemic. 

Earlier this month, a natural calamity in Sikkim led to the washing away of Army ammunition from an Army camp into the Teesta River. 

As a result, local residents living along the Teesta River are concerned whether this incident is connected to the ammunition or any chemicals. Kusum Mandal, a local Panchayat member, said that questions are arising about the cause of this sudden incident. 

\Residents have also been cautioned against consuming the fish. Suman Saha, assistant director of the Jalpaiguri district Fisheries department, stated: “Preliminarily, no evidence of poison or pesticide use has been found in the area, leading us to believe that this incident may have been caused by a decrease in oxygen levels in the water during the morning. 

However, it is impossible to make a definitive assessment until the dead fish have been examined. As a precaution, samples of the deceased fish are being sent to Kolkata for testing to determine the exact cause. 

Until the results are available, a campaign has been launched to discourage both the consumption and catching of fish within the area stretching from the Teesta Bridge to Mandal Ghat.” 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/dead-fish-spotted-in-teesta-river-probe-initiated-538546