Large scale fish deaths raise alarm in Gopalpur

Berhampur: After nearly a gap of one year, hundreds of dead fish were again seen floating near Gopalpur port in Ganjam district. As per reports of an expert team, poisonous chemical content in the water has led to the deaths, though the source of the chemicals is unknown.

Talking to OTV, Marine Technology expert Bijay Kumar Sahu said, "The quality of water should be checked for dissolved oxygen (DO). Decrease in the DO value could be the reason of the fish deaths, if not, inadequate discharge of water or fertilisers kept in the area also might have led to this."

Situated in between the unit of Indian Rare Earth (IRE) and Gopalpur port, large quantity of imported fertilisers are kept stocked in the area which when exposed to rain produces harmful chemical. The mixture of this chemical in the water bodies may be the reason of the deaths, pointed Sahu.

Earlier on August 6, 2016, similar incident had occurred in the port area and a high-level scientific team from Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Puri had visited the spot. The team had collected water samples and inspected the vicinity of the port and the unit of the Indian Rare Earth (IRE) located in Matikhala.

But the probe report of the CMFRI team has still not been disclosed and no step has been taken on the issue. Fishermen in the area have demanded that district administration and State Government should take appropriate steps to check future deaths of fish.