Thousands of fish dead in Kumbichchan tank

Residents of the area expressed concern about the death of thousands of fish in Kumbichchan tank in Anuradhapura for the last several days.

Municipal employees have been deployed to remove the dead fish to the Nisala Nimna public cemetery. They said they carried more than ten tractor loads of fish to the cemetery. A senior official of Anuradhapura Municipal Council said more than 500,000 fish had died.

Meanwhile health authorities said birds, dogs and monitor lizards were feeding on dead fish without any harm being caused to them, which was an indication that the fish had not died due to any obnoxious contents in the water.

However, Municipal Commissioner Ruwan Wijesinghe said at least 75 percent of the fish in Kumbichchan tank had died. He said the tank was running dry due to the prevailing drought and that the dwindling oxygen level and algae would have resulted in the death of fish.

He further said samples of water had been referred to the relevant authorities for laboratory tests to confirm the cause of death of the fish. (B.G. Chaturanga)