Dead fish and aquatic animals have been floating in the Meghna River north of Chandpur for three days. From last Friday morning to this Sunday morning, a huge number of fish and aquatic animals have been floating dead on the banks of the river in an area of about 15 kilometers from Ekhlashpur to Shatanol in the upazila. The dead fish are piled up on the banks, rotting and spreading a foul smell around.
Local fisheries officials said that fish are dying due to the decrease in oxygen and pH levels in the water as waste from factories in Dhaka, Munshiganj and Narayanganj mixes with the Meghna water through the Shitalakshya-Buriganga rivers.
In August last year, fish and aquatic animals were found dead in the Meghna River. About 15,000 residents of five unions along the river are at risk of health problems due to the new fish deaths and foul smell spreading along the banks.
Yesterday, Saturday and this Sunday morning, visiting Dashani, Kalakanda, Mohanpur, Ekhlashpur, Shatanol and Baburbazar areas of the upazila, it was seen that the green water of the Meghna River has turned black and murky. A huge number of red chewa, white chewa, bele (baila), seleng, chapila, shrimp, kachki and jatka have floated in the water dead. Frogs, kuchi and water snakes are also floating dead. These fish and aquatic animals are piled up on the banks. This is spreading a bad smell around.
Local residents are fed up with polluted water and the stench of rotten fish. Fulchan Barman, a resident of Baburbazar area on the banks of the Meghna, said that a few days ago, the green water of the Meghna turned murky and smelly. Since Friday morning, a lot of dead fish and aquatic animals have been floating in the Meghna in the area. Dead fish and animals are piling up on the banks of the river and are rotting, emitting a foul smell. It has become difficult to survive indoors due to the stench.
Kalakanda Union Parishad member Md. Shamsuddin said, the river has been filled with dead fish for three days. Despite the ban, children are bathing in the polluted water of the river. Housewives are also washing pots and pans. Local people are falling ill due to this. In August last year, there was an incident of dead fish floating in the river. The matter has been reported to the Fisheries Department and the Department of Environment.
Upazila Fisheries Officer Bijoy Kumar Das said that he would inspect the scene after receiving the news. He said that toxic waste from factories in Dhaka, Munshiganj and Narayanganj is being mixed with the green freshwater of the Meghna through the Buriganga and Shitalakshya rivers in the tidal current. Due to this, the Meghna water is being polluted. Tests have shown that due to increased pollution, the amount of ammonia in the water has increased and the amount of oxygen and pH has decreased. This is why fish seem to be dying at such a rate. An investigation committee was formed in this regard last August at the initiative of the Department of Environment and Fisheries.
Ashok Kumar Roy, a retired teacher of the Geography and Environment Department of Matlab Government College, said, “The rate at which fish and aquatic animals are dying in the Meghna due to pollution is a matter of concern. Effective steps need to be taken to stop the pollution of the river’s water and environment.”
Source: Prothom Alo
