Miscreants allegedly poisoned a pond in Mathbaria upazila, Pirojpur, killing fish worth about Tk 2–3 lakh. The incident happened late on the night of 15 May at the pond of Mohammad Fazlul Haque Akon next to the Golbunia government Ashrayan project in Ward 1 of Amragachhia union.

Fazlul Haque Akon said he was farming pangas, tilapia, silver carp, puti and other local fish in the pond and had spent about Tk 5–6 lakh on it. The fish would have been ready for market within a few days. He alleged that some neighbours poisoned the pond over a previous land dispute.

Thirty to 35 local families and residents of the Ashrayan project drink water from the pond, and worshippers at a mosque beside it use it for ablution. He said he would file a complaint with the police to seek legal help.

Local residents said dead fish kept floating to the surface every little while, and that all the fish died because of the poison, causing losses. They used to collect drinking water from the pond.

Ashish Darji, the village police for Golbunia, Ward 1, Amragachhia union, said it was not yet known who had poisoned the pond in the dark, but they were investigating to bring the matter to light.

Amragachhia union parishad member Abul Kalam Azad said he went to the spot on getting the news and found that miscreants had poisoned the pond and many fish had died. He said there was a mosque beside the pond where worshippers perform ablution, and local people collect drinking water from it.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.