MAPUSA
The large-scale fish fatalities in River Tar in Mapusa remained a mystery even as Bardez Deputy Collector Kapil Phadte said he would convene a joint meeting with officials concerned from the Water Resources Department (WRD), Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) and health department.
The deputy collector on Tuesday visited the site to get first-hand information about the incident.
“I will convene a joint meeting of WRD, MMC and health officials. In the meanwhile, I have also told the talathi to take down the addresses of persons concerned, who may have been involved in the illegal release of sewage in the river,” said Phadte, while adding, “further course of action will follow.”
In the meanwhile, the MMC and Bastora panchayat have separately written to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) regarding the dead fish found floating in River Tar.
The MMC chief officer in a letter to the GSPCB member secretary and the Captain of Ports has requested authorities to verify reports of dead fish found floating in River Tar.
“Kindly collect water samples from the river to check the quality of water and to prepare a detailed analysis and submit the report to this council at the earliest,” MMC Chief Officer Clen Madeira said.
Bastora Sarpanch Ranjit Usgaonkar has also written to the GSPCB member secretary.
“Dead fish were found floating in River Tar, Bastora. It is suspected that some unknown persons may have released hazardous/toxic chemicals into the river. Kindly initiate appropriate action in the matter at the earliest,” Usgaonkar said.
The River Tar was covered with hundreds of dead and dying fish on Sunday morning.
The cause of death was not clear, but locals suggested that effluents released into the water could have led to the death of the fish.
Reports also suggest that the deaths could have been caused by a lack of oxygen.
The Tar River has gained notoriety for being one of the most polluted rivers as the entire sewage of the town and the main market flows into the river.
The river falls partly in the jurisdiction of Mapusa municipality and partly in Bastora village.
