Hundreds of Fish Found Dead in Teesta River, Likely Due to Poisoning

On Sunday, hundreds of fish, especially smaller species, were discovered dead and drifting in the Teesta river in Jalpaiguri town's Jubilee Park neighborhood.

Experts believe that because the river's water level has dropped, dishonest fisherman may have contaminated the water to catch more fish. To determine the cause of death, specimens were gathered by fisheries department officials and submitted for testing.

In the Teesta, Karala, and Panga rivers in Jalpaiguri, there have been at least seven reports of dead fish floating in the last ten years.

Residents of Jubilee Park's Saradapally neighborhood saw hundreds of fish floating in the river on Sunday morning. A large number of individuals went fishing for the floating fish.

We have heard that a lot of people have gathered the dead fish. There is a health risk, thus we ask that they not prepare and consume them," a Jalpaiguri district administration official said.

"The river's water levels have dropped. This might be one of the causes of the drop in water oxygen levels that precipitated the event. Only until we get lab findings will we be able to determine the reason," said Suman Saha, an associate director in the department of fisheries.

The locals, however, seemed unfazed. Saradapally local Gobinda Biswas said: "I went there and saw fish floating." It seems that poison was added to the water upstream. A large number of us have gathered the fish.

The Jalpaiguri Science & Nature Club secretary, Raja Rauth, said that strict measures should be taken by the government to stop dishonest activities such as fish poisoning.