More dead fish were removed yesterday from the Lamaha Canal almost two weeks after a similar occurrence.
Yesterday’s discovery prompted very much the same response as in the first incident, where the fish were hastily removed and officials were relatively tight-lipped about the incident.
When contacted, Water Minister Irfaan Ali said that the fish found yesterday were from the original set which had perished almost two weeks ago. Ali, however, said that he was still awaiting the most up-to- date information and promised to return a call to this newspaper. He disclosed that this information included the results of the tests that had been conducted on water samples. However, up to press time the minister had not delivered on his promise.
Meanwhile in a statement issued last evening, the East Demarara Water Con- servancy Commission (EDWC ) advised “all fishermen operating within the EDWC to desist from dumping refuse and other by-catch within the waterways and channels of the conservancy.”
“The Commission of the EDWC has further boosted patrols and will take legal action and revoke passes of person (s) found guilty of committing such offences,” the release said. The statement did not say whether the recent discovery of dead fish had influenced these new measures.
The Lamaha Conservancy is the main source of water supply for residents in the city and the discovery of fish has caused some disquiet in sections of the society, despite the assurances by Ali that the water was safe for consumption.
One letter writer to this newspaper, Charles Sohan had noted that “any fish killed in a stream which supplies drinking water is of significance since its demise could have resulted from pollution or indiscriminate waste disposal into it.” He opined too that “the treatment facilities at the Shelter Belt are incapable of extracting toxic and many dangerous pollutants from the water it supplies to its users.” Stabroek News was subsequently informed that the Guyana Water Inc. had conducted tests for chemical impurities and fuel residue and no trace of contamination was found. Samples were also sent overseas for additional tests this newspaper was told. The results of these tests are yet to be returned to the country, this newspaper understands.
