Mass Fish Death In Odisha’s Paradip Creek Sparks Environmental Alarm
Bhubaneswar : The discovery of a large number of dead fish in Paradip’s Kapiljor stream on Sunday has raised serious concerns among locals and environmental activists about a possible ecological crisis.
Piles of dead fish were seen floating on the surface, while others were observed gasping for air, indicating a sudden disruption in the aquatic ecosystem. The incident raised fears of long-term environmental damage and deterioration of water quality in the creek.
The exact cause of the mass fish kills has not yet been officially determined. Officials from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) Paradip suggested possible reasons such as discharge of industrial chemicals into the water body or a sharp drop in dissolved oxygen levels, which could be due to excess organic waste.
They stated that a definitive finding would only emerge after a detailed field investigation and scientific analysis of water samples.
The incident intensified concerns about alleged inaction by local officials. Paradip Environmental Protection Trust Secretary Siba Biswal alleged that repeated warnings about increasing pollution levels in the stream were ignored.
“We had warned the Paradip Municipal Corporation and port authorities about sludge clearance and pollution control measures but no steps were taken,” he claimed, adding that uncontrolled industrial waste could be behind the large-scale fish kills.
According to cleaning contractor Suryakant Biswal, the mud cleaning work has now been initiated by the civic body. But he said the fish were already dead before the clean-up efforts began.
“The fish were rotting and a strong foul odor spread in the area. It appears that some chemical pollution may have caused the deaths,” he said.
Authorities are expected to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.
“There is an urgent need for strict monitoring of industrial waste and effective management of water bodies in Paradip district. Otherwise, there will be huge losses in fish resources in the stream,” said local fish exporter Giridhari Samal.
