Vizag: Post-mortem of dead fish at Mutayalammapalem beach ordered

Fisheries department has sent samples of fish from various points on the beach to the Kakinada Fisheries Laboratory for post-mortem.

As per an estimate, the dissolved oxygen in sea for sustenance of aquatic life is around four per cent. Assessments in eight to nine areas in the vicinity of Mutayalammapalem beach, however, revealed the oxygen concentration to be a mere 0.2 to 0.3 per cent. It is believed lack of oxygen has led to mass suffocation of fish in the area.

When contacted, APPCB chief engineer P.V. Mukunda Rao told Deccan Chronicle that they will undertake tests in various area to identify why concentrations of oxygen have come down.

Incidentally, there are aquaculture units in the surrounding areas that are involved in shrimp farming. There is also a pharmacy unit, apart from the Simhadri NTPC project in the area.

“We have to identify whether the responsibility lies with the pharmacy industry, Simhadri NTPC, or the shrimp cultivators,” Mukunda Rao stated. All three together could have contributed to the issue. It will also be examined whether climate change has contributed to change in local ecology.