Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 31 Oct: Even after three days, there is no sign of improvement in the water quality of the Kameng river in East Kameng district.
Large numbers of logs were seen floating down the river on Sunday morning. The water turned muddier at around 5 am on Sunday and dead fishes continue to be washed up on the river’s banks.
The condition of the river has caused concern over climate change and its far-reaching ecological impact on the river’s aquatic lives. The turbidity of the river was first noticed at Marjangla Camp on Thursday evening, followed by tonnes of fishes and other aquatic lives floating in the river and washing up on its banks.
Responding to the unusual development and en masse death of aquatic lives, the fisheries director constituted a five-member fact-finding committee comprising Fisheries Deputy Director Goken Ete, ADF SK Rath, East Kameng DFDO Hali Tajo, AD (S) A Chanda and Fishery Officer NC Tok on Saturday to identify the reason behind the river’s turbidity and the consequent death of aquatic lives in the river. The fact-finding team, which will visit Seppa and Marjangla, will submit its report to the state government.
Meanwhile, the East Kameng district administration has imposed 144 CrPC at the Kameng’s banks in Seppa, and has prohibited the people from venturing into the river, consuming fish from the river, and engaging in fishing. However, several residents came out with fishing nets to catch fishes at some stretches of the river’s banks on Sunday morning.
The district administration has deployed security personnel at the confluence of the Kameng and the Pacha rivers to protect the aquatic lives escaping from the turbid water to the fresh river water. The administration has also sought assistance from the State Remote Sensing Agency (SRSA).
On being contacted, an official of the SRSA informed that the agency’s scientists are working on the matter. He said that the SRSA has been unable to get clear satellite images due to cloud cover.
“However, looking for SAR satellite data, there is some protocol in the National Remote Sensing Centre to get satellite data due to security reasons,” he said.
