'Fishers use bleaching powder for fishing'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 23 2014: Some unknown fishermen dipped many bags of bleaching powder (Calcium hypoclorite) to kill and catch fish near Thoubal Bridge yesterday.

As the information reached PFA, a team immediately moved to catch the culprits.

The team members felt trouble breathing as they were about to reach the spot as the foul smell of chlorine filled the air, said a statement issued by the PFA.

Many aquatic animals were seen writhing in the water due to toxicity.

The illegal fishermen, seeing the team's approach, fled the spot and escaped.

PFA started picking up the writhing fishes, crabs and put them in a large vessel containing clean water.

Meantime members of Thoubal College Student Union led by the general secretary T Rojit joined PFA in rescuing the animals.

The team pulled up three big fish nets set in the water to stop the fish from escaping from the chemical treated area of the water.

Onlookers informed PFA that the fishers were mostly from nearby areas of proper Thoubal, it said.

Bleaching power is not available in the market and it is available only in the store of Public Health Engineering Department.

PFA suspected that the chemicals were brought from bleaching powder store of Thoubal PHED.

Interestingly, the chemical is available to the public only through the permission of higher officials of the office.

More than 4 empty bags of the chemical were found in the area.

Safe amount of Calcium hypoclorite to treat water is 2.3gm per 1000 litres of water.

The amount of chemicals they pour in the water could treat about 40 million litres of water.

The high concentration of Calcium hypoclorite burns the mucous membrane of aquatic animals and plants.

Small fish and other young crabs, shrimps dieinstantly.

It will adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem of the Thoubal River.

High concentration of calcium hypoclorite in water is also not good for human too.

A big fish was rescued but it died yesterday itself after numerous efforts to save it.

Rescued and live fishes and craps were released today.

The act is punishable with imprisonment up to 1 year and 6 month which can be extended up to 6 years with fine under the Water (Prevention and control of pollution) Act 1974 .

It is also against Wildlife Protection Act.

It appealed to the people to stop fishing by electrocution and chemical.

It also appealed to the Chief Engineer of PHED to check the supply and distribution of bleaching powder.

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