IT Correspondent
Jiribam, Jan 30:
Fishing at Jiri River using insecticide which is illegal and crime against wild life is becoming very popular. Imphal Times Correspondent Mahin Laskar yesterday reported this issue alarming the concern government authority.
Recently a team of media persons visited towards the upstream of the river, it was found that some rare species of dead fishes floating in the Jiri river water.
It was speculated that the fishes were dead due to the use of insecticide to the upstream of the river by unidentified fishers and it floated towards the downstream with the current of water.
On receiving the report of such detrimental and hazardous fishing method in Jiri River, a team of Jiribam Forest Division along with Honorary Wildlife Warden & Environmental Activist, Jiribam Forest Division Huirem Rajen Kumar Singh went to the site of Jiri River.
Speaking with media persons, Nongthombam Biraj Singh, Range Forest Officer, Headquarter, Jiribam Forest Division said on their visit at the sites of Jiri river large numbers of rotten fishes were seen floating.
On further inspections, two empty bottles of Theron (an agricultural insecticide) were also found near the site, he added.
He also said the team of Jiribam Forest Division collected and properly disposed of all the decomposed fishes in the area. Such illegal act of fishing killed fishes and other micro-organism as well as it destroys the delicate balance of the ecosystem and its impacts on the health of the villagers residing downstream, whose sole source of drinking water is the Jiri River.
Biraj Singh appealed to stop such illegal fishing; he also cautioned that if anybody found in such illegal fishing it would be punishable under Manipur Forest Rule- 1971 and Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
