Mass fish deaths at Nikku Nangal village in Ropar

Panic gripped the residents of Nikku Nangal village in Ropar district after a large number of dead fish were found floating in the pond on Thursday.

Officials from the Fisheries Department rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. They flushed out water from the pond and collected the dead fish. Later, they reportedly buried fish under the ground to prevent any health hazard.

The villagers expressed apprehensions that some of the toxic fish might have made their way to the market.

Nangal SDM Sachin Pathak said, “A team from the Fisheries Department has collected water and fish samples. These have been sent to Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, to determine the exact cause of death. The report will be out in the next four days. There are no reports of fish from the pond reaching market.”

Officials have yet not confirmed whether the incident was due to pollution, oxygen depletion or poisoning.

“We are worried that if even a small quantity of these fish were sold in the market, it could pose a serious health risk,” said a resident.

Officials have urged the public not to consume fish purchased from an unknown or unverified source over the past two days until the test results are out. The incident has also raised questions about water quality monitoring and regulatory oversight of village ponds.

Punjab