In a disturbing incident in Palamu district, a dam in Mohugai village under the Panki police station area has been poisoned, leading to a massive fish kill. This act of vandalism has caused significant financial damage to local fish farmers, with losses estimated in lakhs of rupees. The dam is leased to Supendra Sao, and the village community works together to manage the fish farming operation.
According to local residents, the fish in the dam had recently been restocked. On June 30th, Supendra Sao and the villagers released 124 kilograms of fish fry into the dam, supplementing the existing fish population. Villagers noticed a large number of dead fish floating on the water surface on Tuesday. The smell of the dead fish quickly spread, drawing a crowd to the site.
Villagers suspect deliberate poisoning. Supendra Sao explained that he has a three-year lease on the dam and relies on the fish farming project, supported by the community, for his livelihood. He and the villagers had invested a substantial amount of money in fish for this year, only to have their efforts undone.
Several villagers, including Dhananjay Sharma, Vijay Sao, Ravikant Sharma, Pradeep Prajapati, Sumant Kumar Prajapati, Niranjan Prajapati, Surendra Sao, and Arvind Prajapati, emphasized that this incident represents not just an economic loss, but a devastation of their hopes and plans.
The fisheries department and local authorities have been notified. The villagers are urging the administration to ensure the dam’s security to prevent similar incidents in the future.