BHADRAVATI: The drop in the oxygen level in the Bhadra water is said to have led to the destruction of large-scale fish.

Dead fish were found floating in the stretch of the river between Sunnadahalli and Tadasa on Friday. The varieties of the fish that were killed include Kallukorve, Chamari, Kolasu and Gowri, which are commonly found in the Bhadra.

The cause for the sudden drop in the oxygen level in the river is not yet known. It is said that the presence of 3 to 4 mg of oxygen a litre is necessary for the fish to survive while the level of oxygen since Thursday was said to be 1 to.1.5 mg.

According to a rough estimate, nearly two tonnes of fish were found dead in the river, which is likely to go up. Fishermen attribute the fish kill to the release of untreated chemical effluents from the State Government Undertaking Mysore Paper Mills (MPM), located on the banks of the river. Officials of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Fisheries Department, who rushed to the spot, took up investigation into the causes that led to the large-scale death of the fish in the river.

According to them, it was due to the sudden depletion of dissolved oxygen level in the water owing to the poor water flow in the river.

The episode of fish kill in the Bhadra led to the rumours that the two major public sector industries such as the MPM and the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Ltd (VISL) were responsible for the pollution of the river leading to the death of the fish.

The companies denied the charge.

Tension prevailed for some time when Congress workers staged a protest in front of MPM main gate to protest against the alleged release of untreated effluents by the factory. They shouted slogans against the management of MPM. Officials of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board collected the samples of water and sent it for analysis.

The MPM management has clarified that effluents are discarded only after proper treatment in the mill and as such pollution of river might not be the reason for the fatality in the river.

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