Fears of Panchaganga dead fish flowing into Krishna basin

KOLHAPUR: Lakhs of dead fish were again found floating on the surface of the Panchaganga river — this time at the Shirdhon bridge near Kurundwad of Shirol tehsil. Dead fish were also found in the Krishna river bank near the Nrusinhawadi area.
On Tuesday, the sanitation workers of the Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation removed dead fish using a boat following orders from the regional officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
But the flow of the river washed away a bulk of the dead fish, which then got accumulated near the Shirdhon bridge. There is a possibility that dead fish in the Panchaganga river, in the Shirol region, may flow into the Krishna river basin and other fish in the Krishna river may also get infected.
People who live along the river are also upset about the stench. Anil Shirsat, a resident of Terwad, said, “The river is heavily contaminated. Very soon, villages along the river like Tervad, Herwad, Kurundwad etc. will start facing severe drinking water problems. The river water cannot be fixed with filtration. An extremely foul small has spread in the villages.”
City-based social activist Dilip Desai said, “Due to contamination of water in the Panchganga river basin, dead fish can be seen floating in the river at Shiye, Shiroli, Rukdi, Rui, Terwadh and Shirdhon bridge in Kolhapur. These fish will further flow into in Krishna river basin. The stench emanating from the dead and decaying fish is a health hazard for people who live near the river. The district administration and the MPCB officials are doing nothing other than collecting water samples. The reports of the collected water samples have not yet been released. They are expected to 4-5 more days.”