Thane: Hundreds of fish were found dead in the Ambernath river due to excessive water pollution allegedly caused due to discharge of waste released from nearby Poultry farms. The local villagers claim around 15 to 20 villages nearby use the natural water for daily use. But the authorities have taken no action against the erring owners.
The fish were found dead on Sunday on Mukhi Govare rivers that come from the hills of Malang Gad and adjoining areas. The river with natural water is used by many nearby villages. Local villagers from Brahman Karavale, in Ambernath rural area of Thane District claim that on Sunday morning, like a daily routine, "different women from nearby villages reached the river for washing clothes. The woman called the local sarpanch and alerted citizens from the village, who later reached the spot. The locals captured a video of dead fishes. The video went viral across Thane district making it an issue alerting the authorities", said a local villager from Braman Karavale village.
On Monday, officials from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and other local bodies visited the river. "During primary investigation it was found that a poultry farm on the border of the hills had stored waste for many days, which was released recently. The waste also included chemicals in it that resulted in killing of the fish. We also got details from the poultry farm who confirmed the release of waste. Investigation is on", said an official from MPBC.
Local villagers also alleged that many tribes collect the dead fish in plastic sack bags to further sell it in the market of Ambernath, Ulhasnagar and Kalyan.
