Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Bhola, various species of tangra, shrimp, chengo are also on the list of fish kills
Hilsa, which was once out of reach of the common man in the market, is now being found in hundreds on the banks of the river. All dead. The image of such a tragic fate of hilsa has put a frown on the foreheads of fishermen. A large number of dead hilsa have been seen lying on the west bank of the Hooghly River for the past two days. Of course, this picture is not only on the west bank, but also on the east bank. It is not just hilsa that is on the list. Bhola, various species of tangra, shrimp, chengo are also on the list of fish kills. Since Sunday, pictures of fish rot have been seen in the riverbank areas including Kanjiakhali, Rangamati, Kalinagar, Jagdishpur Banshtala, Kolsapa Chengail on the west bank of the Hooghly River in Howrah Rural. However, the number of hilsa fish is higher among the rotting fish. Starting from young hilsa fish to fish weighing one kilogram, they can be seen lying on the riverbank. Fishermen on the banks of the Hooghly River are worried about the sudden occurrence of fish rot in the river. During the monsoon, these hilsa fish bring them an extra two paisa. Fishermen of Phuleshwar, Bauria, and Kaziahali on the banks of the Hooghly River claim that the fish rot in the river is due to water pollution in the river. According to the fishermen, they have seen such fish rot in the river during the monsoon before too. However, this time the hilsa rot is more. Fisherman Ashta Patra of Kanjiakhali area claims, 'Due to pollution in the river water, fish are floating dead. If this continues, we fishermen will die of starvation.' Local resident Biswajit Bhandari said, 'When I went to bathe in the river in the morning, I saw a lot of dead fish floating in the river. This problem occurs in the river every year.' He claims that polluted water from factories is mixing with the river through canals and polluting the river water. By March 2020, fish poisoning was seen in the Hooghly River. At that time, the Fisheries Department of Uluberia Block No. 1 and the health officials of Uluberia Municipality collected water samples. After this, by May 2025, fish poisoning occurred in Rupnarayan in Mankur, Baksi Hat area. That time too, environmental activists blamed the river water pollution. Environmental activist Chitrak Pramanik said, "The Hooghly River is rich in aquatic biodiversity. Not only fish, but also Gangetic dolphins and Gangetic turtles are found here in large numbers. In addition, there are hilsa and various species of turtles. Environmental activists are concerned about the death of fish in the Hooghly River, which is full of such aquatic animals. They suspect that the river water may have been polluted by the polluted water or waste from the factory, causing the death of the fish. A fisheries official said, "If the polluted water from the factory is mixed in large quantities, there is a risk of fish poisoning. If the polluted waste from the factory is mixed in the river, it will affect the Gangetic dolphins and hilsa fish here. Sometimes, sensitive fish like hilsa can die due to variations in water temperature and salinity in the water." Chitrak said, "To protect the biodiversity of the river, pollution must be prevented. Because the river is our lifeline."