Basanter river in Samba becomes fish graveyard

Vishal Jasrotia

Samba, April 30

Thousands of fish have died in the Basanter river in Samba in the past three days. Dead fish were seen floating on the water or lying along the banks of the river on a 4-km stretch between Badheri and Burj Tanda villages.

Sensing risk, residents of the villages along the river have stopped taking their cattle to the river.

“Around thousands of fish have been killed by toxins in the industrial waste that flows into the Basanter river. We first noticed the river water turned black on Monday morning and by afternoon, fish started dying. By evening, dead fish were lying along the banks of the river with a sickening stench,” said Bachitar Singh, a villager.

“Industrial waste flowing into the river killed the fish. Even domestic animals have been affected by toxic substances in the river water, but no effective measures have been taken to improve the situation,” said Tari Singh, another villager.

“The dead fish are infected and pose a health hazard for the villagers as they have started stinking. The district administration should look into the matter and take action against the industrial units which release contaminated water into the river,” said Rashpal Singh, sarpanch, Burj Tanda.

“We have got information and action will be taken. A special team will be constituted to monitor the situation. The team will start work within a couple of days to ascertain the exact cause behind the death of fish,” said Satish Sharma, General Manager, District Industrial Centre, Samba.

“We will ensure that industrial units keep their effluent treatment plants functional all the time,” said Sharma.