SRINAGAR: Reports of large-scale fish deaths in Dal Lake have stirred concern among fishermen and residents, with experts from the Fisheries Department at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST) ruling out the claims, saying that assertions “appear exaggerated.”
The locals expressed concern as earlier in the day, a video went viral from Dal Lake Srinagar, where a man in a boat was holding a fish over the paddle, showing that the fish had died in the water of Dal Lake.
“Even a few fish dying in Dal Lake is worrying and we want authorities from the Fisheries Department and LCMA to check it properly. The reason might be the floodgates of Dal Lake, which have been closed for over five days,” the man in the viral video said as per the news.
Meanwhile, locals requested the authorities to conduct an investigation and check the reason behind it, while urging the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) and the Fisheries Department to carry out thorough monitoring to prevent any ecological or economic losses.
However, the officials here have ruled out the assertions.
“The video circulating on social media shows just a single dead fish. If there were a mass die-off, it would be clearly visible. At this stage, the cause cannot be confirmed,” Professor Farooz Ahmad Bhat, a SKUAST fisheries official.
He added that dirt particles at the Lake bottom and seasonal factors could contribute to isolated deaths. (KNO)
