Even late at night, there was a crowd of eager people on the banks of the Ichamati River. Most of them had flashlights in their hands. They were gathering in groups to collect dead fish floating in the river.
This situation has been going on in the Samsabad area of Nawabganj Upazila of Dhaka since Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning.
Eyewitnesses said that after seeing dead fish floating, a few people gathered in the Samsabad area on the banks of the Ichamati River from Tuesday afternoon. Many went there to find out the reason for their presence. After that, many people, both men and women, started catching different species of fish floating in the river. Some collected these fish with their bare hands, some with towels or with the help of their clothes.
Local residents and concerned fisheries officials believe that due to the high levels of pollution in the river, the oxygen levels are decreasing and fish are dying.Photo: Prothom Alo
Apart from Samsabad, reports of dead fish floating in the rivers of 8 to 10 places in the upazila including Kalakopa, Collegeghat, Khanepur, Golla, Dighirpar, Dhapari have been received.
A local resident named Faisal said that lights were seen all over the river banks at night. Later, he came to know that this crowd of people was there to catch fish floating in the river water.
Munna Mia, a resident of Samsabad, said that on Tuesday night, after hearing the noise of people, he went to the river bank and saw the scene of dead fish. This situation continued until dawn. However, no one was seen in the morning. Now, there are no fish there due to the rising tide.
These fish are found dead in the riverPhoto: Prothom Alo
When asked about the reason for the dead fish floating in the river, Nawabganj Upazila Fisheries Officer Karishma Ahmed said, “This could happen for two reasons. First, the oxygen level in the water may decrease due to a lot of sewage. Apart from this, even if the water is highly polluted, there is a possibility of fish dying. We are trying to find out the matter quickly so that this situation can be prevented. Apart from this, we will also investigate keeping in mind the issue of other sabotage.”
Source: Prothom Alo
