Water Minister Irfaan Ali says that despite the discovery of dead fish, the water in the Lamaha Canal is “safe”.
Ali told Stabroek News that several tests have been conducted and that there was no discovery of any form of contamination. He said that a “detailed investigation” is being conducted.
An official from the Agriculture Ministry, who requested anonymity, said the dead fish have been removed, and the staff managing the East Demerara Water Conservancy has been releasing water through the Kofi outlet to freshen the water streams in that location.
The official said that tests are being continuously done by GWI and the Fisheries department of the Agriculture Ministry to “track water quality and the impact on marine life”.
Samples will also be sent overseas from time to time for such assessments, the official also said.
According to the source, the fish may have died as a result of bacteria which could have been a spinoff of the water stench caused by the lack of rainfall during the period of El Niño.
Last Friday, dead fish were found floating in the Sheriff Street location of the Lamaha Canal. Reports were that they were first spotted on Thursday but that the number of fish increased significantly on Friday jolting the authorities into action.
The authorities were, however, until yesterday relatively silent on the matter.
Charles Sohan, in a letter published in yesterday’s edition of this newspaper, had expressed concerns at the silence by the relevant authorities about what caused the fish to die and whether the water is safe for consumption. He noted 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.” According to him, “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.”
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Timothy Austin, when contacted yesterday, said that GWI would not be issuing a statement on the incident as yet.
He advised the newspaper to contact the Secretary of the EDWC Board Samuel La Fleur. When this newspaper had approached La Fleur for comment on Friday, he advised that questions be directed to the Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud.
The minister, when reached, was out of the country.
