Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, April 2: Following the death of lakhs of fish due to severe water pollution, Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy on Thursday inspected the Babudih and Lalbhatta stretches of the Subernarekha river at Bhuiyandih.
Even three days after the incident on March 31, the riverbanks remain littered with dead fish, many of which have begun to decompose, emitting a foul stench.
Locals reported visible signs of contamination, including blackened water along the banks and maggot-infested carcasses.
Roy attributed the incident to the discharge of untreated effluents into the river, possibly from large drains passing through residential areas and industrial zones, including the Tata Steel plant. However, he stressed that the exact source of pollution must be determined through a thorough investigation.
He called for immediate accountability from three key authorities—the district administration led by the Deputy Commissioner, the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, and the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee—questioning their response to the ecological crisis.
Roy criticized the state pollution board for its alleged inaction, citing a lack of real-time data on its website regarding industrial discharge between March 30 and April 1.
While some data was available on the Central Pollution Control Board portal, he pointed out critical gaps, including the absence of monitoring sensors for ammonia nitrogen, oil, grease, and cyanide levels.
Highlighting alarming figures, Roy noted that Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels reportedly reached 439.6 mg/L—far exceeding the permissible limit of 30 mg/L—while Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) touched 880.8 mg/L against the limit of 250 mg/L in effluents entering the river.
He further alleged that industries have not installed adequate alert systems that could automatically halt operations when pollution exceeds permissible thresholds.
Calling the situation deeply concerning, Roy demanded a high-level probe into the mass fish deaths and urged the district administration to publish a time-bound, comprehensive report identifying the exact causes and fixing accountability across industries and regulatory bodies.
