GUWAHATI: Chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu on Saturday inspected the dark muddy waters of the Siang river at Yingkiong in East Siang district and described the situation as serious.
"Inspected the Siang river today near Yingkiong, whose water has turned muddy and black - making it unfit for drinking and aquatic life. Have asked the local administration to furnish detailed report on the situation," Khandu tweeted, tagging the PMO, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, BJP's national Twitter handle, BJP4India, and the environment ministry.
The change in the Siang river is noticed right from Geling in northern Upper Siang district, the point at which the river enters India after flowing for 1600 km through the Tibetan Plateau as Yarlung Tsangpo from its glacier source in the Kailash Range of the Himalayas.
READ ALSO: High turbidity turning river Siang black: Lab reports
The Central Water Commission has no jurisdiction to monitor the river beyond the international border but it is suspected that the slag in the water has come from Chinese territory, which an environmental expert from the neighbouring country has denied. The Siang or Dihang flows through Arunachal Pradesh for about 230 km to reach Pasighat and then join the Lohit and the Dibang about 30 km downstream to form the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam.
The ecological fallout of the river pollution is already evident.
The Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary - a group of islands sandwiched between the Siang and the Sibia, one of its tributaries - is a haven for winter migratory birds.
READ ALSO: Arunachal river turns black, officials blame China
As a result of the pollution, the sanctuary has seen the exit of its avian guests much before time. The migratory birds from far-off places start arriving by the end of October and stay on till March.
Divisional forest officer (wildlife) of the sanctuary R Riba told TOI that the number of migratory birds in the sanctuary has dwindled this year.
"You can say that the number of migratory birds at the sanctuary is nil. I had myself counted about 35 to 40 of these birds some time ago and now there are none. Last year, you could have seen the banks of the river completely covered with these birds," Riba said. The forester explained that these migratory birds are dependent on fish and they can catch the fishes only when they see them in the water. "Siang's water is crystal clear at this time of the year. This time, it has become so dark and muddy that birds can no longer spot the fishes. Why will they stay put if they get nothing to eat?" he asked.
The 190-sq-km sanctuary, 75% of which is grassland, also has a large number of animals and Riba fears that if Siang's water condition remains unchanged, its effect would harm the ecosystem of the sanctuary in the long run. "At present, animals inside the sanctuary have numerous groundwaterfed ponds as the water source. But, there are apprehensions that if the Siang's waters continue to remain polluted, in the long run underground seepage would pollute these ponds," Riba said.
READ ALSO: No question of China polluting Siang River: Chinese media
There are also reports of large number of buffaloes dying in the downstream areas of Siang. Riba said that no such incident has been reported from the sanctuary's perimeter but downstream, on the Assam-Arunachal border, there are a large number buffalo sheds set up by dairy farmers.
Laboratory test results of samples Siang's water have confirmed that high turbidity has made the principal constituent of the Brahmaputra a river of death for aquatic life besides rendering its water unfit for human consumption. The report of the state public health engineering (PHE) department states, "A high turbidity level of more than 425 NTU, if exposed for a long period, may affect fish survivability as it leads to choking of gills resulting in death."
"Inspected the Siang river today near Yingkiong, whose water has turned muddy and black - making it unfit for drinking and aquatic life. Have asked the local administration to furnish detailed report on the situation," Khandu tweeted, tagging the PMO, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, BJP's national Twitter handle, BJP4India, and the environment ministry.
The change in the Siang river is noticed right from Geling in northern Upper Siang district, the point at which the river enters India after flowing for 1600 km through the Tibetan Plateau as Yarlung Tsangpo from its glacier source in the Kailash Range of the Himalayas.
READ ALSO: High turbidity turning river Siang black: Lab reports
The Central Water Commission has no jurisdiction to monitor the river beyond the international border but it is suspected that the slag in the water has come from Chinese territory, which an environmental expert from the neighbouring country has denied. The Siang or Dihang flows through Arunachal Pradesh for about 230 km to reach Pasighat and then join the Lohit and the Dibang about 30 km downstream to form the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam.
The ecological fallout of the river pollution is already evident.
The Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary - a group of islands sandwiched between the Siang and the Sibia, one of its tributaries - is a haven for winter migratory birds.
READ ALSO: Arunachal river turns black, officials blame China
As a result of the pollution, the sanctuary has seen the exit of its avian guests much before time. The migratory birds from far-off places start arriving by the end of October and stay on till March.
Divisional forest officer (wildlife) of the sanctuary R Riba told TOI that the number of migratory birds in the sanctuary has dwindled this year.
"You can say that the number of migratory birds at the sanctuary is nil. I had myself counted about 35 to 40 of these birds some time ago and now there are none. Last year, you could have seen the banks of the river completely covered with these birds," Riba said. The forester explained that these migratory birds are dependent on fish and they can catch the fishes only when they see them in the water. "Siang's water is crystal clear at this time of the year. This time, it has become so dark and muddy that birds can no longer spot the fishes. Why will they stay put if they get nothing to eat?" he asked.
The 190-sq-km sanctuary, 75% of which is grassland, also has a large number of animals and Riba fears that if Siang's water condition remains unchanged, its effect would harm the ecosystem of the sanctuary in the long run. "At present, animals inside the sanctuary have numerous groundwaterfed ponds as the water source. But, there are apprehensions that if the Siang's waters continue to remain polluted, in the long run underground seepage would pollute these ponds," Riba said.
READ ALSO: No question of China polluting Siang River: Chinese media
There are also reports of large number of buffaloes dying in the downstream areas of Siang. Riba said that no such incident has been reported from the sanctuary's perimeter but downstream, on the Assam-Arunachal border, there are a large number buffalo sheds set up by dairy farmers.
Laboratory test results of samples Siang's water have confirmed that high turbidity has made the principal constituent of the Brahmaputra a river of death for aquatic life besides rendering its water unfit for human consumption. The report of the state public health engineering (PHE) department states, "A high turbidity level of more than 425 NTU, if exposed for a long period, may affect fish survivability as it leads to choking of gills resulting in death."
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