Dead Fish Found Again At Ram-Mula Confluence, Second Incident In 10 Days (VIDEO & PHOTOS)

Pune witnessed yet another environmental tragedy as thousands of dead fish were found floating in the Ramnadi stretch near the Mula confluence in Baner on Friday. This marks the second such incident within ten days, raising serious concerns about the health of urban river systems.

A team from the Pune River Revival Group, a group of citizens and organisations dedicated to saving rivers that had visited the site to check on the ongoing Riverfront Development (RFD) work, discovered thousands of dead fish. The volunteers of the group expressed deep concern, pointing out that the combination of dead fish and the destruction of riverbanks in the name of beautification is a stark warning signal.

“I had gone to Ram-Mula confluence to see the destruction of the riverbanks in the name of beautification and found hundreds of dead fish in Ramnadi. This is a stark warning signal about the health of our rivers. Finding hundreds of dead fish, coupled with the ongoing destruction of the riverbank, indicates a severe ecological crisis that demands immediate investigation. Whether the cause is STP malfunction or other contamination, this incident shows how our river systems are gasping for survival. We need urgent intervention from authorities to not just investigate this specific incident, but also to implement long-term measures for protecting our urban rivers,” said Prajakta Mahajan, volunteer of Pune River Revival Group.

Amit Raj, another volunteer for the Pune River Revival group, said, “Even though we are not currently aware of the exact reason for the fish kill at Ram-Mula confluence, we can see that the fish have died because of changes in water quality. This means some outfalls are going into the river without anyone’s notice; maybe even PMC is not aware of it, or if PMC is aware, then they need to penalise and rectify the situation. Overall, every effort and every penny we invest should result in clean water flowing into the river. This means fully functional STPs across the city and curbing all outfalls into the river. We must note that the water that killed fish has a direct impact on our fishing community. And the same water flows into Ujani, impacting the ecology.”

“Such events indicate that the larger aspect of riverine ecology is at stake. PMC is going to spend around ₹4,700 crore on the RFD project. We as citizens appeal to PMC to use the money to clean the river, take care of riparian zones, our wetlands, springs, and streams, instead of concretising the riverbanks,” added Raj.

Commenting on the incident, Mangesh Dighe, head of the environmental department, PMC, said, “We received a call from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). They have sent a team to collect samples and investigate the death of the fish. Our regional ward officers are also present. We are investigating the cause of the deaths. It’s very unusual to see fish die in the Ramnadi as it’s not a fishing area as such.”