Fish death in Dal lake raises concerns

NASIR YOUSUFI

Srinagar: On a hazy morning, a 21-year-old youth is taken aback as soon he steps out from his house. A pack of fish is afloat near his house but the fish are all dead. Mohammad Abbas Moti from Moti Mohlla, Dal has never seen lifeless fish floating atop the waters in the vicinity in such large numbers.

“At first, I thought there were only few fish. But as I paddled my boat little away, there were thou-sands of them piled over the weeds. The sight was totally scary,” said Moti. “Throughout my life, I have never witnessed such a large scale destruction of fishes in the lake.”

In the third week of May, thousands of fish in the Dal Lake reportedly died suddenly creating a con-cern among the local residents and experts across the realm.

The dwellers of Dal Lake raised the alarm. Seconding Moti, Mushtaq Ahmad Sultan, a 48-year-old resi-dent from Sultan Mohalla Dal too expressed shock over the large scale death of fish.

“Earlier at many occasions I have seen a number of fish dying in the lake, but this one is mass death of the prized aquatic beings. It seems alarming, “said Mushtaq.

The piling up of dead fish along the banks and shores near the interior habitations of Dal lake also raised the health concerns among the inhabitants. The mounds of dead fish emanated foul smell. “Over the days, these dead fish have become source of nuisance. The foul smell and their decompos-ing bodies can cause diseases in the area,” suspected Ali Mohammad, an old aged resident from Teli Mohalla Dal.

However, the authorities have termed the mass death of fish an outcome of routine annual affair.

“The occurrence is a routine annual affair. I have received reports about the deaths of fish in Dal Lake. We have already sent a team to collect the samples from the lake. We found that lot of dead fish around Centaur Hotel,” said Deputy Director Fisheries department Rafiq Ahmad. “Prima facie, it seems that the fish have died due to sudden fluctuation in temperature. This is not unusual as it happens every year. You will find similar occurrences in other lakes like Manasbal (Lake) as well,” Ahmad said.

The concerned officer did not rule out the possibility of other factors causing the large scale death of the fish. Asked if there could be any other reasons, Ahmad said pollution could also be a contributing factor as it changes the parameters of the water. “Coupled with temperature variation, it causes mor-tality among the fish,” he said. A senior inspector of the department has been asked to submit a de-tailed factual report ascertaining the cause of the fish death, he added.

The inhabitants of the lake however believe that there are other reasons too behind such large scale fish death in the lake.

“One of the reasons for the large scale death is the increase in the water level of the lake. The lake authorities have kept the water level up. Now, it has become a problem as the fish have died. The open decomposition of these fish could also pose a health problem in the vicinity,” said Mohammad Shafi, a resident from Dal Lake.

There is a large section of Dal dwellers who blame the pollution for the development.

Furqan Ahmad, who often visits Dal lake puts the blame on the pollution level. There are many pollu-tants which keep seeping into Dal waters. The pollutants discharged from houseboats and waste ma-terial sometimes dumped into the lake are also believed to be responsible for the situation. “The sew-age water and solid waste from Dal habitations and houseboats have polluted the waters in the lake. It has eventually turned toxic for the aquatic life. It is our prime responsibility to avoid any littering in the lake and use scientific means of waste disposal in and outside the lake areas,” Furqan a class 12th stu-dent from Nishat area said while expressing his views about the large scale death of fish in the lake.

Expressing resentment, fishermen community living in and around the lake have raised concern about the development and have appealed the authorities to probe the incident.

“These fish are our livelihood. They sustain our families. We cannot live without proper and conducive environment for aquatic life in the lake,” said Mohammad Ramzan, a local fisherman from Dal Lake.