Dangerous for human beings and other species
Nagpur: To everyone’s surprise in general and fish-eaters in particular, the fishing, these days, is being done through electrocution of fish in water tanks and other reservoirs. Such electrocuted fish are dangerous to human health, and the water charged with electric current causes danger to the life of other species in water, like, crabs, frogs, centipede, turtles, water birds and prawns, etc. Such water is dangerous even for cattle and other big animals as well as human beings if they use it for washing purpose.
The fishermen, rather than adopting traditional modes of fishing, these days, are seen illegally attaching hooked wires to the live power line passing by water tanks or other reservoirs and electrocute the fish and pick them up for their purpose of selling or eating. Once the water is charged with the electric current all sorts of lives in water including the fish die in water. They are then collected and brought home rather than selling them in the market.
The eaters of fish purchase such fish from the houses of fish-sellers. Such electrocuted fish are of no use in the market because they cannot be worth eating after one or two hours of their being electrocuted, for their bodies get decomposed faster and are tasteless. Since other electrocuted species remain in water, making it rot and smell foul, and so, such water becomes dangerous for environment. Such contaminated water cannot be used for big animals or even human beings.
It may be noted that a youth died in Mahadula last year due to passing of current into water. Such incidents have occurred in Ambada tank in Ramtek and Navegaon Khairi Dam wherein the reservoirs were charged with current just to catch fish. The departments of electricity and environment as well as forest must take suitable measures on this count.
Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha (rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com)
