Lawmaker says army personnel violated law

Langate: The Langate lawmaker, Engineer Abdul Rasheed Sheikh on Friday visited the Mawar Nallah and monitored the situation there after some chemical was ‘poured into it due to which many trout fishes died’.

Er Rasheed in a statement issued here appealed the people of the area to not to pay heed to rumors.

He, according to a statement issued here monitored restoration of water supply in Mawer and adjoining areas after the drinking water was contaminated due to some ‘poisonous chemical’, which got mixed with water flowing from Mawer Nallah, due to ‘negligence of Army Camp’ located at Nawgam.

Along with the officers of civil and police administration, the MLA visited the entire area and during a joint meeting which was attended by top officials from the Civil and Police administration, Army officers apologized over the incident and ensured that such incidents will be avoided in the future.

However, ER Rasheed insisted on stern action against the culprits and an FIR was lodged over the issue in the local police station Qalamabad.

Later, while speaking at Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid Mawer, Er Rasheed assured the people that all measures will be taken to ensure that people get pure drinking water and such incidents are not repeated in future.

He also asked people not to be panic over the issue and urged administration not to play with the lives of people.

“It is tragic that tons of trout fishes died because of the poison, which Army claimed to be a chemical called Phenyl Formate (C7H6O2) a kind of disinfectant,” he said, reiterating that just an apology is not enough and stern action should be taken for risking the lives of human beings and aquatic life.

Notably, authorities in North Kashmir on Friday issued an advisory asking people to refrain from consuming water from Nallah’s and lift pumps.

The advisory came after thousands of Trout fish were found dead this morning at a farm in Langate area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

An official said that more than 15,000 trout fish have been found dead. “The cause of the death on such a large scale is being ascertained but prima facie it seems the handiwork of the mischievous elements who might have sprayed some poisonous chemicals into the Mawar Nallah,” he said.

Showkat Ahmad, Additional Director Fisheries Kupwara told news agency CNS that the lethal effect of the chemical sprayed into the stream could be gauged from the fact that within few minutes over 15,000 trout fish died while some of them were overweight.

In the advisory issued by authorities people from at least 24 villages have been asked not to consume water from the stream till it is cleaned. People have also been asked not to consume water from lift pumps including Sherhama, Pohrupet and Panditpura.

A team of experts from Srinagar rushed to spot to examine the poisonous water and help determine the exact cause of mortality of fish, said an official.

 

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