Meghalaya: Hundreds of fish including rare giant catfish found dead in Western Ri Bhoi river due to poisoning

Hundreds of fish, including rare giant catfish, have been found dead in the Khri River in the Western Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The incident occurred on May 11, but the news publicly came to light after a viral video surfaced on the internet showing a man and his friends carrying an 80 kg catfish.

According to sources from the Patharkhmah Police Outpost, a few individuals from different villages in Western Ri Bhoi allegedly poisoned the river using a local poison called Kharu to kill the fish. It was not the traditional hook fishing, but fishing using organic poison.

The police team who investigated the river seized three packets of the poison Kharu, which were allegedly used for poisoning the river. The police are currently investigating the matter, and a few local residents have been summoned for questioning.

Rampant fishing through explosion using dynamites and poisoning of rivers has become a cause of serious concern in the State, especially in the Ri Bhoi district. Though an easy method to catch fishes from the river, poisoning of the river and blast fishing highly contributes to the destruction of aquatic animals and plants in the riverbed.