In a bizarre first for the state, a 32-acre pond located some 35km from Jamshedpur has allegedly been poisoned, leaving 25 quintals of fish, out of its 150-quintal stock, already dead and triggering an alarm in the state fisheries circuit.
The pond - a treasure trove of a wide variety of fish, including catla, rohu and mrigal - belongs to Sapan Jana, a progressive farmer in Govindpur area of Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
A senior state fisheries department official said Jana, who had received training under various fish promotion schemes in the past, had taken the pond on lease from a landlord six years ago.
"This (Tuesday) morning, Jana called us to inform that some villagers had poisoned his pond and the fish were dying. We have asked him to collect water and dead fish samples, and send it to the district fisheries office for tests. We have also told him to file an FIR," the official said, requesting anonymity.
If the fisheries top brass is to be believed, lack of oxygen and water pollution have often led to fish deaths in Jharkhand, but an instance of poisoning has never been heard of.
Jana said the fish started dying since Monday morning. "By this (Tuesday) morning, 25 quintals floated up dead. More are dying," he said, adding that personal vendetta might be the motive behind the poisoning of the pond. "Villagers often stole fish from the pond and we had had confrontations many times. Finally, I had to depute night guards."
The farmer insisted that his fish had definitely been poisoned because the pond water had been found to be "completely safe" during recent tests.
"A few days ago, some local villagers gheraoed me, saying the pond was polluted. I approached the district fisheries office and was told to submit a written application to the water resources department for quality check. All that has been done and nothing harmful was found in the waters then," he said.
To corroborate his claims further, Jana said that once the fish started dying on Monday, there was a "loot-like" situation. "Villagers came in droves and hauled home fish. How come everyone knew that the fish are dying or will die?" he said, pegging his losses at over Rs 3 lakh.
A fisheries official recommended safeguarding of all fish-rearing ponds in Jharkhand. "This is a neglected area. Like crop insurance, the state does not have fish insurance. If such incidents happen more often, farmers will refuse to take up fisheries," he warned.
State fisheries director Rajiv Kumar said he had sought details from the Seraikela-Kharsawan district office. "Any loss of fish stocks, be it public or private, is loss for the state's overall economy. We will look into the case."
On whether Jharkhand would consider fish insurance, Kumar claimed they had tried in the past, but failed. "We spoke to many insurance companies, but the premium was too high to be feasible. We are casting around for alternatives," he said.
Should the state seriously consider fish insurance? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
