Fish found dead in Mansar lake

Sumit Hakhoo

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 27

Hundreds of dead fish were found floating on the surface of Mansar, the largest freshwater lake in the Shivalik mountain range of J&K.

Protected under the Ramsar Convention, shocked locals and tourists have been witnessing dead carp fish floating on the water surface and near the lake banks for the past one week.

The water body, some 60 km from Jammu and falling in Samba district, is a popular tourist destination attracting nearly a million visitors every year.

Alarmed officials of the Wildlife Department claimed that they had started the investigation into the deaths of around 150-200 fish. Meanwhile, none of the officials from the Surinsar Mansar Development Authority was available for the comment.

When contacted, MK Kumar, Regional Wildlife Warden, Jammu, blamed the cold weather for the deaths. “Fish may have died due to the intense cold and other natural factors, resulting in the decrease of dissolved oxygen in water.”

Kumar said they had taken preventive steps and a scientific probe had been initiated. “We are closely monitoring the situation.”

Locals and environmentalists, however, doubt the official explanation about the continued deaths. They blame pollution and increase in the number of carp fish by the government about three decades back for the mess, which is leading to slow death of the lake.

“It is surprising that the cold weather alone will be responsible. The lake is slowly being poisoned by pesticides used in surrounding farmland, influx of untreated sewage water as the construction of a treatment plant was never taken up,” said Bushan Parimoo, an activist working for the preservation of water bodies in the Jammu region. There was a plan to relocate the carp fish but it was never implemented.

“Carp fish is not native to the lake. They were introduced after native fresh water fish died mysteriously in mid 1990s. Their number has increased fast, which has overwhelmed the water bodies,” said Ajay Kumar, who lives near the banks of the lake.

Locals said the government should take preventive steps and improve the infrastructure along the water body and construct sewage treatment plants and remove the excess fish.