Dead fish in Yamuna again: Government says filing FIR to investigate ‘fake’ info, ‘role’ of AAP workers

Dead fish have surfaced in the Yamuna river, once again, prompting the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control department to request an investigation into the matter. The department stated that the claims of chemical spraying in the river ahead of Chhath Puja are "fake information" intended to cause alarm and damage the government's reputation.

Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh alleged that individuals were intentionally discarding dead fish into the Yamuna river. The department is filing an FIR to investigate who might be responsible for this and whether they have any connection to AAP workers.

The latest dead fish report came on Wednesday, following the debut of the Namo Yamuna River Safari. On October 14, numerous dead fish were discovered along the Burari stretch, with industrial effluents entering through drains 2 and 8 being suspected as potential contributors. Elevated ammonia levels, rising to around 1.3 mg/l, coincided with the issue, forcing the Delhi Jal Board to temporarily reduce water treatment production at the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant.

Experts have suggested examining sewage and industrial discharges from drains 2 and 8, along with the ammonia levels and the suspected use of polyaluminium chloride. An ammonia concentration of around 1.3 mg/l, according to some, is insufficient to account for the scale of fish mortality. Yamuna activist Pankaj Kumar expressed concern over the repeated occurrences of mass fish deaths, stating that such incidents have not happened back-to-back in a decade.