Large numbers of fish have died in several fish enclosures (ghers) in the Shahadatnagar area of Boirag union in Anwara upazila, Chattogram, after what farmers say was toxic waste water entering their ponds. Dead fish were seen floating in the enclosures from the afternoon of Friday, 18 September. The growers say at least 20 fish farmers face losses of about Tk 35 lakh.

The affected farmers allege that chemical-laden waste water discharged from the Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO) urea plant entered their enclosures through drains and canals, after which the water quickly turned toxic and fish of all sizes began to die.

At the site, countless dead fish were floating on the water and piled along the banks, and the stench had spread through the area. The farmers fear that if the water remains contaminated, the fish still alive in the enclosures will die too.

Local people said the farmers have raised fish in these enclosures for years on land leased from former MP Shahadat, and that the income pays for their households and for loans taken from individuals and banks. They say KAFCO effluent has killed fish in the enclosures before, and that the factory was informed but no permanent solution followed.

Farmer Md Ismail said he has been raising fish for several decades, that KAFCO's waste water had killed his fish previously, and that repeated warnings to the company had not produced a lasting fix.

KAFCO chief executive Md Faruk Ahmad could not be reached for comment despite several calls to his mobile phone. Upazila senior fisheries officer Md Rashidul Haque said his office had not yet received a written complaint; once it does, the site will be inspected promptly and action taken under the law. The report is from Manab Zamin's Anwara (Chattogram) correspondent.

Source: Manab Zamin