The Arunachal Pradesh river turns black, thousands of fish die; locals blame China: report | Latest India News

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A river in Arunachal Pradesh suddenly turned black, killing thousands of fish, the PTI news agency reported on Saturday. Officials have warned people against consuming the fish found floating on the surface of the Kameng River, the news agency further reported.

District officials said the high content of total dissolved substances (TDS) was the reason the river, located in East Kameng district, turned black.

PTI cited district fisheries officials as saying that TDS causes breathing problems for aquatic species. Fish underwater also experience reduced visibility due to the high level of TDS, officials added.

The TDS in the Kameng River was 6800 mg per liter, well above the normal range of 300 to 1200 mg per liter, said Hali Tajo, district fisheries development manager (DFDO).

Meanwhile, residents of the village of Seppa, where the incident took place, blamed China, saying the level of TDS was dangerously high due to construction activities carried out by the neighboring country across the country. the border.

Watch: Is China’s increase in LAC Arunachal activity a new tactic after the Ladakh tremor?

Seppa East Tapuk Taku MP called on the state government to immediately establish an expert committee to determine the cause of the sudden change in the color of the water in the Kameng River and the death of a large amount of fish.

“If this continues for more than a few days, the aquatic life in the river will be totally wiped out,” he said, citing PTI.

Earlier this week, India stepped up activities and stepped up Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) patrols in sensitive areas across the disputed Arunachal Pradesh border.

Data viewed by Hindustan Times showed that the Indian military detected an increased operational tempo of the PLA in Lungro La, Zimithang and Bum La, which are areas of historical significance in the context of the Chinese aggression in the eastern sector. The military further told HT that countermeasures had been taken.

The military used satellites, long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, a superior array of radar, and high-tech night vision systems to monitor PLA activities. The surveillance led to an increase in vehicle movements due to infrastructure development activities and a large number of excavators and bulldozers to keep the highways open in Lungro La, Zimithang and Bum La areas, said an official at Hindustan Times.

In 2017, a similar blackening of the Siang River in Pasighat was reported. At that time, Congressman from Arunachal East Ninong Ering wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting his intervention, claiming that this was the result of the construction of a 10,000 km long tunnel in China, which diverted water from Siang to Xinjiang Province in the Taklamakan Desert.

China had denied the allegation.

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