Scores of fish dead in Hemavati, lifeline of Bengaluru and Mysuru; poisoning suspected

CHIKKAMAGALURU: Thousands of fishes have turned up dead in the Hemavati river, a tributary of the Cauvery and the lifeline of Bengaluru and Mysuru, in Banakal in Chikkamagaluru district, triggering alarm that the water has been poisoned. Locals allege that a few criminals have poisoned the river water to catch fish easily and in huge numbers. Following outrage by local fishermen, the police have launched an investigation.
The river originates near Banakal, some 200km from Mysuru. It flows through Hassan and Mysuru and joins the Cauvery near KRS which accounts for drinking water to Bengaluru. Around 3km of the river appears to have been poisoned, causing worry over the water flowing downstream.

Villagers in and around Banakal said the incident came to light as dead fish started to float on the river bank a day ago. Most of these are fish of local varieties, including the grass carp. Immediately, locals alerted the Banakal police who visited the spot and began a probe.

“Tens of local fishermen are dependent on the river for their livelihood. This incident has dealt a blow to them as no one wants to buy their fish,” said Nanjunda Rao, a resident of Banakal. “Adding to this, the fear of river water poisoning has stopped people from using the water for any purpose. People are worried over their cows and other animals drinking the river water. Police must initiate action against all those who are responsible for this.”

Raghavendra Kesavalalu, a local resident, alleged that the water flow in the river was down to a trickle in recent days. “In a few places, the miscreants would have mixed poison to catch fish. Besides, untreated effluents are directly released into the Hemavati from the coffee-pulping sheds. All these have made the river water unfit for drinking,” he said. “Hemavati is one of the important tributaries of Cauvery... Poisoning the river will affect the population of Mysuru and Bengaluru too.”

Police said a probe was on but no case has been registered.