Dead fish found floating in Godavari River, NMC & MPCB start probe

Nashik: At least 200 dead fish were spotted floating in the Godavari River near the Asaram Bapu Bridge on Tuesday morning, prompting officials from Nashik Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to visit the site and collect water and fish samples for analysis to determine the cause of the sudden fish deaths.Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has directed its drainage department to check for any outlets discharging into the river and to verify whether chemicals from industrial sources might have entered the water.Ajit Nikat, deputy commissioner (tax and establishment) and in-charge of Godavari Conservation, inspected the area and told departments to trace the source of the problem. "The fish were scattered along the grass on the Gangapur side of the riverbank and near the bridge. We walked nearly 100 metres upstream and downstream, and even surveyed the opposite bank, but did not find dead fish elsewhere," he said.NMC is also checking if the fish actually died in the stretch of the river or were dumped there.All dead fish found at the site have been collected for disposal ."The water sample analysis will help identify the cause of the deaths," Nikat added.