Thousands of fish were found floating dead on Saturday in Kameng river in Arunachal Pradesh's East Kameng district after the water of the river suddenly turned black, triggering panic among the people.
A district fisheries official said that the water of the river turned black due to high content of total dissolved substances (TDS).
District Fisheries Development Officer (DFDO) Hali Tajo said that thousands of fish were found dead in the river on Friday at Seppa, the district headquarters.
According to preliminary findings, the cause of the deaths is large presence of TDS, which creates low visibility and breathing issues for aquatic species, in the water, he added.
Further, Tajo said, "As the river water contains high TDS, the fish were unable to inhale oxygen."
Quoting a report, Tajo said the TDS in the river was 6,800 mg per liter, much higher than the normal range of 300-1,200 mg per liter.
Tajo appealed to the people not to consume the fish as it may cause serious health issues.
The East Kameng district administration issued an advisory, asking people to avoid venturing near the Kameng river to catch fish, and not to consume and sell the dead fish till further order.
Residents of Seppa blamed China for the rise in the TDS in the river, alleging that the colour of the water turned black due to construction activities by the neighbouring country.
As per report, Seppa East MLA Tapuk Taku appealed to the state government to immediately constitute a committee of experts to ascertain the cause behind the abrupt change in the colour of the Kameng river's water and the death of a large quantity of fish.
Expressing concern, Taku said this incident never happened in the Kameng river.
