Tags:
Journalism of Courage
September 2005: Lakhs of fish die after immersion of Ganapati idols in Kankaria Lake
April 2006: Hundreds of birds turn up dead along Sabarmati river
June 2006: Hundreds of fish die in Daman due to the industrial pollution from Vapi
November 2006: 300 turtles found dead in the Nabhoi-Narmada canal
19 September, 2007: Lakhs of dead fish are washed ashore in Dumas chowpatty in Surat
20 September, 2007: Over a tonne of dead fish found in Ubhrat and Dati in Navsari district
Kinds found dead
8226; Catfish
8226; Sea hemiramphus
8226; Flagfish
8226; Clupeids
8226; Mullets
8226; Solefish
8226; Prawns
What has been done so far
8226; Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Fisheries department have collected samples of water and fish and sent them for testing
8226; GPCB has released water analyses reports
8226; Fisheries Department is yet to reveal the report
Possible reason: GPCB and the Fisheries Department claim that the deaths could have occurred due to 8220;cloudy weather during which the oxygen levels in water get depleted8221;
Contradicting Claim: Head of the Aquatic Biology Department at VN South Gujarat University, Dr Mohini Gadia, says: 8220;Cloudy weather can reduce oxygen levels in water only in small, stagnant pools. And if fish die only during cloudy weather, they should be dying every monsoon8221;
Testing Waters
The GPCB collected water samples from the estuary of river Tapi and the Arabian Sea
8226; Sanjeev Tyagi, Member Secretary of GPCB, says: Six sea water samples were collected in the region; Results indicate that the water is normal
8226; Sea water collected from the site was colourless and odourless
8226; No trace of oil or any other contaminating matter
8226; Only possible cause is illegal dumping of industrial waste or sewage in the waters
8226; No industries have been identified in the region yet
The water analysis found
8226; The pH of the water varying between 7.74 and 8.07
8226; The total dissolved solids TDS of the water were between 10,000 and 35,000 ppm
8226; The dissolved oxygen levels were in the range 4.2 to 4.8 ml/L
Delayed report
Fisheries Department is still to receive reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Surat
8226; NK Vashi, the Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department south Gujarat region says: Fish samples from Dumas arrived only on Friday. It might take another three days for reports to arrive
8226; DK Patel, Assistant Director of the Fisheries Department in Navsari says: By the time the Fisheries Department was informed about the dead fish, most of them had already been swept away by the tides
