Biplab Deb’s latest gem: Ducks raise oxygen level in water bodies, aid pisciculture

Months after suggesting that civil engineers are best suited to enter the civil services, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has now taken up the cause of ducks.

Addressing a gathering during a traditional boat race programme held at Rudrasagar Lake on Monday evening, Deb said the aquatic birds recycle water when they swim – raising the oxygen level in waterbodies. “This rise in oxygen, in turn, makes the fish population increase,” he claimed, promising to distribute 50,000 white ducklings among fishermen residing in the area.

According to Deb, the benefits of duck-rearing do not end there. He said that children would greatly benefit from additional protein and vitamin supplements if every family in the area kept at least five ducks. “Rearing hens and ducks was part of our rural culture. This culture was destroyed over the last 25 years,” Deb asserted.

Experts, however, were unimpressed by the chief minister’s statements. “It may be possible to increase oxygen levels in water through machines, but claiming that ducks can enhance the fish population is unscientific,” said Jyoti Prakash Roy Choudhury, a retired zoology professor.

Deb has uttered many a controversial statement in the past. Some of the claims made by him include the existence of the Internet during the Mahabharata age, Diana Hayden’s alleged ineligibility to win the Miss World crown and Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang’s true credentials as a journalist.

First Published: Aug 28, 2018 14:42 IST