Suspected poisoning linked to mass fish deaths in Dergaon water body sparks alarm

Dergaon, Oct 28: Sensation prevails among the residents of the Dalijalia area downstream of the river Gelabeel, following the discovery of many dead fish of different species floating in the river.

According to information received here, the residents of Negheriting, Dhemaji, Chakalaghat, Dakhin Dalijalia, Uttar Dalijalia, Hanhchowa, etc., saw the dead fish floating in the river in the morning and immediately suspected that someone might have poured poison into the river water, and so the fish died.

The witnesses said that the poison might have been diluted due to incessant rain, and some other fish were consequently saved. Upon receiving the information, the secretary of the nature organisation Aashray and the Dergaon branch of the Assam Science Society, Dr Sanjoy Kr Hazarika, passed on the news to the co-district commissioner of Dergaon, Damodar Barman, for necessary action. Later, the officer entrusted the duty of investigating the incident to assistant commissioner Anwesha Thakur.

The co-district commissioner also alerted all the line department officials of the district to investigate the matter with due seriousness. On her part, the assistant commissioner has started the investigation with the help of the Dergaon police. Several organisations and individuals have condemned the unlawful activity and demanded stern action against the culprits.

Aashray's president, Sochi Kr Gohain, has condemned the activity and urged upon the administration to arrest the miscreants immediately. He said that pouring medicine for fishing in the water bodies harms the fish, and all creatures, including other aquatic creatures and human beings, are also affected.

Similarly, the president of the Dergaon branch of the Assam Science Society, Dr. Monoj Jyoti Hazarika, has also sought stern action against the lawbreakers, while laying stress on the need to create mass awareness about such unlawful activity.

Expressing great concern over the issue, writer Padmolochan Nath urged upon all concerned to do something practical to stop such inhuman activities, along with meting out exemplary punishment to the miscreants.

On being contacted, a retired associate professor of Botany at DKD College, Dergaon, Bijit Ranjan Saikia, talked about the prevalent use of a local species of tree, commonly known as 'Konobih' (Croton tiglium), for poisoning fish in water bodies. He informed that the seeds of the medium-sized plant are used, which gives tiglium oil and irritates the eyes of the fish on the upper part of the water. As it does not affect the water depth, soil, etc., and never kills the fish, it can easily be used for eco-friendly community fishing, Saikia added.

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