Huge number of mature fish ad fish fries have been dying everyday in various ponds and other smaller scale water bodies in Jhenaidah district as the excessive heat wave is continuing in the district.
The dead and rotten fish and fries are polluting the environment as stench is spreading faster from them, said the pond and water bodies owners as well as the local people.
Teher Uddin, a pond owner involved in fish farming at Siddi village under Shailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah said about one maund of fish fries had died and started floating on the pond water on Friday morning. He had buried the same under earth to prevent bad smell and environment pollution.
He had witnessed the same sconce on next morning of Saturday when one and a half a maund of the fries were floating being died. Those were spreading bad smell. Finding not other alternative, he had buried them. If the situation continues, the fish farmers will be affected and the production of fish will be declined in the current season, Teher said.
The residents of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), better known as WAPDA said they are facing troubles when the fish and fries in the government owned pond had died and spreading bad smell for last few days. No one is removing the dead ones form the water body. They are apprehending contamination of diseases form the pond.
The fish farmers said most of the fish farmers do not have deep tube wells to ensure water supply to the ponds or other water bodies as per the requirements of the fish and fries during heat wave. As a result the water becoming hot faster when the scorching sun was prevailing in the sky with heat for hours together.
When contacted, district fisheries officer (DFO) in Jhenaidah Alfaz Uddin said as it is the natural calamity like heat wave, they have been advising the fish farmers and individual pond owners to preserve adequate water in the water bodies for a cooler situation which is suitable for the fish and fries.
DFO said they have been advising the fish farmers and pond owners to apply geolite, a lime in the water to remove the pollution in the water and protect the fish and other water species from heat and bad environment.
