Bhubaneswar: State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has said that boats loaded with fish capsized and that led to floating of dead fishes on shore of River Bahuda.
When a concerned Additional Chief Secretary Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Satyabrata Sahu enquired about large scale dead fish found on the banks of River Bahuda as reported in Media, he asked Member Secretary SPCB Dr.K Murugesan to find out the real cause of mishap.
Dr.Murugesan, a sensitive IFS Officer immediately asked the Regional Officer, SPCB, Berhampur to rush to the spot and find out the cause and take protective action in this regard.
RO, SPCB along with the Team reached the spot to find out the cause, said sources.
According the SPCB Report, Bahuda River mouth at Bay of Bengal is adjacent to the proposed blue flag beach at Sonapur, Odisha.
This is close to the State Boundary towards Andhra Pradesh. Lots of fishing activities including sun drying of fish is being undertaken at that place.
After the Team SPCB reached the spot and enquired about the matter.
It was learnt from the local inhabitants that last night three fishing boats were capsized during returning loaded with fish.
This leads to floating of dead fish and deposit at shore by tides.
Villagers reported that dead fish were found on the banks of River Bahuda in areas under Chikiti block of Ganjam on Wednesday.
The fish, oil sardines, were spotted by locals on patches near the confluence of Bahuda and the sea at Sonapur.
As rotting fish smell spread in the area, villagers informed the Ganjam District Administration.
Another report said large number of fishing boats reached the shore with their catch in the last two days.
Unable to find buyers for their huge haul of oil sardines, the fishing boats dumped the fish in the river, said a report. Most of the dead fish drifted to the banks of River Bahuda.
A senior officer of the Department of Fisheries said such fish dumping is not new. A similar incident took place near Gopalpur Port between 2016 and 2017.
River Bahuda merges with the Bay of Bengal at Sonapur. Many fishermen of the village depend on fishing at the river mouth for their livelihood protection.