Jalpaiguri: After the Karala River, large numbers of dead fish have now been found floating in the Panga River, raising concerns among local residents over possible poisoning of the water.
From Friday morning, several varieties of river fish, including rohu, barb fish and climbing perch, were seen floating dead in the Panga River that flows through the Sipahipara area under Jalpaiguri Sadar Block.
According to locals, following continuous rainfall on Thursday night, a large number of dead fish were noticed floating in the river on Friday morning, just a short distance from Jalpaiguri town. As the fish surfaced, many villagers entered the river to collect them.
The exact cause of the mass fish deaths remains unclear. While some residents suspect the use of explosives for illegal fishing, others believe that poison may have been used in the river.
Local resident Biren Roy said: “We do not know why the fish died and floated to the surface. Since morning, such a scene has been visible and many people are entering the river to collect the fish.”
Another resident, Ronny Roy, said: “Since morning, everyone has been seen catching fish. All the fish are floating dead. This will cause significant damage to the river’s ecosystem.”
Raja Roy added, “A similar incident had occurred earlier, but at that time only small fish had died. This time, even large fish are floating dead. The reason is still unknown.”
Ramesh Biswas, Assistant Director of the Fisheries Department in Jalpaiguri, said samples of river water and the dead fish have been collected and sent for examination. “An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fish deaths,” he said.
On February 8, a similar incident had occurred in the Karala River, where large numbers of mature fish were found floating dead, prompting concern among residents and authorities. Officials of the Jalpaiguri Fisheries Department had collected water and fish samples for laboratory testing to ascertain the cause.