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Toxic Tide? Harike Rivers See Mass Fish Die-Off
5 Apr
Summary
- Environmentalist alerted National Green Tribunal about fish deaths.
- Suspected toxic elements or chemicals causing mass fish mortality.
- Water consumed in Rajasthan and Punjab may be contaminated.
Environmentalist Lt Col (retired) Jasjit Singh Gill has formally notified the National Green Tribunal regarding a significant die-off of fish observed at Harike, Punjab, where the Sutlej and Beas rivers meet. The alarming number of dead fish suggests a potential contamination from toxic elements or industrial chemical infusion into the water.
This event raises serious public health concerns, as the river water, now potentially hazardous, is channeled through the Sirhind Feeder canal to south Malwa in Punjab and the Indira Gandhi/Rajasthan Feeder canal to seven districts in Rajasthan. Gill urged the Punjab and Rajasthan Pollution Control Boards to issue immediate warnings advising against the consumption of this water, highlighting the possibility of severe health consequences.
The incident echoes a similar tragedy in May 2018, when a distillery's ethanol storage tank burst on the banks of the Beas, leading to a massive fish kill. Farmers have provided video evidence of the dead fish, further emphasizing the severity of the situation and the need for thorough investigation into the source and nature of the contamination.
