MLA Tapuk Taku calls for constituting fact finding committee

ES Reporter

SEPPA, Oct 29: In an unprecedented development, the Kameng River turned muddy with reports of tons of dead fish washing up on its shores due to the high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the river on Friday.
The 264kms long Kameng River originates in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh from the glacial lake below the snow-capped Gorichen mountain range.
When contacted, District Fisheries Development Officer (DFDO)-East Kameng Hali Tajo said that the department received reports about the unnatural death of fish in the morning hours. Accordingly, he personally visited the Kameng River where fishes were floating.
The officer said that according to primary findings, the cause of death of the fish is due to large content of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which eventually creates low visibility to aquatic life as well as breathing issues.  “The fish generates oxygen from the gills. At present the river water is very dark and contains high TDS, therefore, fishes are unable to inhale oxygen, which eventually led to the death of tons of fish,” he said.
The DFDO also stated that, during the initial testing it was found that TDS reading was 6800mg/liter, whereas normal TDS range should be 300 to 1200 mg/liter. However, as of now no other significant reason has been ascertained about the incident, he added.
Tajo also appealed to the public to avoid consuming the dead fish as it may cause serious health issues.   
Also, the District Reproductive & Child Health Officer (DRCHO) Dr Dirang Pizi denied reports circulating in social media about few people being admitted at the District Hospital after consuming dead fish and termed it false. 
“There is not a single person admitted in the hospital due to consumption of the dead fish,” he said, however appealing to the public to refrain from consuming the dead fish for safety reasons.  Earlier, the East Kameng district administration issued an advisory to avoid venturing near the Kameng River to catch fish, ban on sale of fishes in the market till further order and urged denizens to avoid consuming the dead fish.

As a precautionary measure, the Capital complex Deputy Commissioner Talo Potom also issued an order directing not to sell or consume fish that has been bought from East Kameng district till further orders.   
Meanwhile, MLA Tapuk Taku has appealed to the state government to immediately constitute a fact finding committee of experts to find out the specific reason behind the development.
Speaking to this Eastern Sentinel, Taku said that the matter is very concerning as there is no specific conclusion as to why the river has suddenly turned dark, thereby killing tons of aquatic life.
Terming it as an unprecedented development, the MLA said that if the situation continues for more than a couple of days, it will totally devastate aquatic life. He said the sudden change in the waters of the Kameng River may be due to a huge landslide in the upper belt of the district.
“There may be many reasons for the situation. Therefore, the state government should immediately constitute a fact finding committee team to expedite the matter at the earliest,” he said.
He also appealed to the public of the district to refrain from consuming as well as selling the fish that has been bought from the river this morning. At the same time people should avoid venturing to the riverside without any reason, he added.
Taku, who is a legislator from the 10th Seppa East Assembly constituency left today to the district to assess the situation.
Earlier this morning the Kameng River turned extremely dark with tons of dead fishes floating in its waters.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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