Four tonnes of dead fish in three days, teams rush to pond near Ahmedabad, India - 24th Dec 2011

The fisheries, forest and health departments of Ahmedabad district swung into action on Friday after receiving reports of fish dying en masse in a pond near Kerala, a village located 38 km from Ahmedabad. According to sarpanch of the village, at least four tonnes of fish has died over the last three days.

Teams from these departments visited the pond, collected samples and asked villagers not to consume dead fish or draw water from the reservoir.

“We noticed some dead fish, small and some weighing up to five kg, washed ashore on Wednesday night. The next morning, there were piles of them and it continued on Thursday and Friday,” sarpanch Subhas Thakar told The Indian Express.

The natural pond is right at the foot of the village with a population of around 7,000 and is spread over five acres. It is 30-feet deep at some points and fresh water remains round the year. Its banks are lined by a rice mill, a bearing factory and farms, the sarpanch said, adding fishing is not allowed there. “We informed authorities after problem seemed to grow serious on Thursday,” Thakor said. Source