Ropar, November 23
In a major ecological disaster, thousands of fish and now even birds have perished in and around the Sutlej near Nangal, allegedly due to the release of toxic wastes in the river.
The fish perished in the river stretch from Nangal to Dher village near, Anandpur Sahib, reportedly because of an abrupt change in the acidity or alkalinity of the river waters.
Initially small fish, commonly called the seed fish, reportedly started dying on November 17. However, later even the big fish started dying. The nearby area of the river stretch is filled with the stench of rotting fish.
The birds feeding on the dead fish floating on the surface of the river, have started perishing too. When this correspondent visited the river bank yesterday, many dead birds, including vultures and crows, were floating on the river waters. Many more were found sitting on the river bank in a helpless condition.
Villagers of the surrounding areas told this correspondent that many birds that fed on the dead fish initially failed to fly and then perished. Villagers of Bela Dhiani, also reported the death of a domestic pig in the river waters.
Concerns were also expressed over the consumption of dead fish by villagers residing on the banks of the river. According to another report a fish contractor took a truckload of dead fish from the river. A member of the district environment committee, Dr
D. P. Singh said, “if the contaminated fish reach the market it might pose a serious health hazard for those who consume it.”
The doctor said the deposition of the toxic wastes on the
banks of the river should be stopped immediately to protect the already fragile environment in and around the Sutlej. If the government failed to take effective steps to check the pollution in the river, it might also have an adverse effect on the local wetland area in the near future.
The Deputy Commissioner, Mr
G. S. Grewal, when contacted said he had received complaints regarding the death of the birds on the banks of the Sutlej.
The pollution control board authorities have been directed to collect water samples of the river and report about the possible causes of the death of the birds.
Members of the district environment committee have urged the district administration to take remedial measures to check the spread of toxic effluents in the Sutlej.
The NFL management declined that the death of the fish was caused due to the release of toxic material from their plant. The Senior Manager (HR), Mr Wadhwa, who is also the spokesperson for the organisation, maintained that there was no release of toxic gas from the NFL and the entire plant operations were normal.
The local Chief Fisheries Officer, Mr Manjit Singh told this correspondent that there was a mass mortality of fish in the river. The mortality was noticed in almost all commonly found varieties of fish in the area, including the common carp, sol, malli and gidh.
There are two chemical plants including the NFL and Punjab Alkalis and Chemicals Ltd (PACL) situated on the banks of the Sutlej at Nangal.
