Dead fish found floating in Krishna & Warana

Kolhapur: Dead fish were spotted on the banks of the Krishna and Warana rivers, with activists alleging that toxic effluent released from sugar mills located upstream caused the deaths.Over the past few days, dead fish have been spotted at Sangli's Krishna river ghats. At Bhadole, along the Warana river, which forms the boundary between Sangli and Kolhapur districts and which further meets the Krishna near Sangli, residents have spotted dead fish too.Sanjay Chavan, Sangli's Gaobhag-based activist and president of a local group called Visava Tarun Mandal, said, "The fish were found dead on Sarkari Ghat, Mai Ghat, Sangalwadi's Shankar Ghat. Both the effluent from sugar mills and the sewage from the Sherinala (a nullah flowing through Sangli) are the cause of the fish death. There is no prohibition on the laundry operators who wash clothes with chemicals on the ghats. The same polluted water is lifted for drinking purposes. We have observed this for many years. No strict action is taken against the polluters by any of the competent authorities."He said the incidents of fish death usually occur between Jan and March, a period coinciding with the sugar cane crushing season. The fish are found dead mainly at river stretches forming a curvature and at places where barrages are located. "The barrages obstruct the free flow of the river water, and the pollution concentration in such waters increases sharply," Chavan said."This time every year, the incidents of fish death go up. Dead fish stink up the river water, and the local authorities issue advisories to residents about boiling water. However, the incidents recur without any action on the responsible parties," the report said.Pramod Mane, the Kolhapur regional officer of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, said, "We have collected samples of polluted water for analysis. After analysis, we can find out what caused the fish death. Based on the findings, further action against those responsible will be initiated."Several areas of the textile town of Ichalkaranji received brackish water through taps on Tuesday morning, with residents claiming it has been happening for the past three to four days. Municipal authorities said sewage water might be mixing with drinking water due to leakages.Abhijeet Patwa, an Ichalkaranji-based activist, said, "Across the city, contaminated water is being supplied. Already, stagnated water of the Panchaganga river has foul odour and bad taste. The river water level is low, it is not free-flowing," Patwa said.