Dead fish in Yamuna near Burari raise alarm over Delhi river’s water quality
Several dead fish spotted along Yamuna near Burari in north Delhi since Wednesday night, raising concerns over the river’s water quality
On Wednesday night, dead fish were spotted along the Yamuna river near Burari in north Delhi, sparking alarm over the river's deteriorating water quality. Wildlife experts and activists have expressed concern, attributing the incident to possible industrial pollution and low dissolved oxygen levels. Hemant Garg, a wildlife enthusiast, noted that thousands of dead fish had been observed upstream as far as drain numbers 10, 11, and 12. The water, usually pristine, was now murky, raising doubts about its suitability for drinking.
Ranjan Mukhia, a local boatman, said the water emanates a strong odor, and the fish deaths are not confined to this specific area. Boatmen upstream in Haryana have also reported finding dead fish. Yamuna activist Bhim Singh Rawat suggests that such mass fish mortality incidents are typically reported during summer months due to high temperatures causing lower dissolved oxygen levels.
However, this incident occurred in winter, making untreated industrial effluents a likely culprit. Rawat identified drain numbers 2 from Panipat, drain number 8, and a drain in Burari as potential sources of these effluents. He also mentioned that the river's flow has been restricted due to monsoon conditions.
Pankaj Kumar, an activist, wrote to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, demanding urgent intervention. He emphasized that mass fish mortality is a critical bioindicator of severe ecological stress, primarily caused by low dissolved oxygen, high biochemical oxygen demand, and the presence of toxic industrial effluents. Kumar warned that if these toxic substances are present in the river in sufficient quantities, they could pose a direct health risk to the public, as the water is abstracted downstream at Wazirabad for drinking purposes.
The New Delhi Nature Society reported the incident on X, speculating that the specific cause might be chemical waste discharged from Haryana through canals. They also drew a connection to the acid rain observed on October 12th. Similar mass fish deaths have been reported in the past, including in May 2026 at Sanjay Lake and April 2026 in Najafgarh drain, both linked to high temperatures, concentrated pollutants, and declining dissolved oxygen levels.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
