1,600 kg of Dead Fish Removed from Riverbed in Nantou's Puli; Wastewater Pollution Ruled Out

(Central News Agency, reporter Xiao Boyang, Nantou County, June 5) A large number of dead fish appeared on the riverbed under Minsheng Bridge in Puli Township. The Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau conducted tests and ruled out cyanide and wastewater pollution. On June 4, officials and river patrol volunteers removed approximately 1,600 kg of fish carcasses. The bureau suspects that a decrease in river dissolved oxygen and severe water shortage led to the fish kill.

The Nantou County Government Environmental Protection Bureau stated today that on the night of June 3, they received a report from the public about a large number of dead fish in the Pipa City Drain under Minsheng Bridge in Puli Township. The bureau immediately dispatched personnel to investigate. On-site tests preliminarily ruled out cyanide and wastewater pollution. To maintain environmental hygiene and the natural ecosystem, personnel were dispatched the next day to work with volunteers from the Puli Township River Ecological Conservation Association patrol team to complete the cleanup.

Photos from the scene show a nearly dry riverbed covered with a large number of dead fish. Due to the hot weather, the carcasses emitted a foul odor under the scorching sun. Volunteers, wearing hats, masks, and gloves, picked up the fish one by one along the riverbed, collecting over 30 large bags of carcasses. These were subsequently sent to an incinerator for disposal. The Environmental Protection Bureau expressed gratitude to the frontline workers and volunteers for their hard work in preventing secondary environmental pollution.

The bureau stated that recent hot weather and a prolonged lack of rain, combined with high temperatures and vigorous aerobic reactions, consumed dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to a decrease in river dissolved oxygen at night. Furthermore, a rubber dam operated by the Irrigation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture upstream of Minsheng Bridge blocked water, causing a severe shortage of water in the downstream channel. This resulted in the collective death of fish due to natural oxygen deprivation. Tests ruled out acute pollution from factory wastewater discharge. (Editor: Li Shuhua) 1150605