Aquatic life population declines considerably in Yamuna: ministry
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New Delhi: The population of aquatic life including major Indian carps like catla, rohu, and mirgala are declining considerably in the Yamuna due to pollution, found studies conducted by Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI).
The minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu said Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) has been assigned to restore the population of major Indian carp in the Ganga river basin, including the Yamuna river. He was responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
In 2021-2022, around 75 lakh fish fingerlings of major Indian carp species were released into the river system.
When the river is pumped full of pollutants, the phytoplankton and other organisms require more oxygen for their degradation. This lowers the amount of dissolved oxygen available in the water which harms the health of aquatic organisms like fish and leads to their deaths. Sewage also promotes algae growth which results in eutrophic dead zones where fish cannot survive due to a lack of oxygen. Microplastics and oil spills are also deadly for aquatic life.
