Locals ‘wash fish’ to help them survive ‘pitch black water’ in Turkey’s west
KÜTAHYA
Locals in the western Kütahya province’s Domaniç district were busy washing the fish coming out of the heavily polluted stream running through villages on July 21 as contamination levels have caused fish deaths.
“The water was pitch black. An hour later, the fish began washing ashore,” said a local, Hakkı Ayan.
“We carried the fish to fountains. This is a massacre,” said Ayan, who had arrived to the South River to have a picnic.
The local authorities have also voiced their frustration with the tragedy.
“There are gardens and orchards here. Other villages are also suffering from this. [Someone] needs to pay the price for [this pollution],” said Baki Karaca, the South Village head.
Saying the village has lost “all” picnic-goers, Karaca said they have faced “a great loss” due to the environmental atrocity.
“Everyone, including picnic-goers and villagers, have moved the fish from contaminated water and have tried to help them survive,” he said.
While gendarmerie officers and teams from the Agriculture Ministry arrived on the scene after the contamination and the dead fish were reported, an announcement via the mosque’s speakers warned locals not to touch the water and the dead fish, the report read.
An investigation has been launched into the situation and teams from the ministry have taken samples from the water and the dead fish for further investigation.
