Mass Fish Death: Rearer from Pulwama’s Tumlihal village suffers heavy losses

Pulwama, Aug 10 : In a tragic incident at Tumlihal village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, a large number of fish have died due to suspected poisoning, causing significant losses for a local female fish rearer.
The affected farm, owned by Seema Jabbar, witnessed the mass death of fish, leaving the owner and her family devastated.
Seema Jabbar, who had recently ventured into fish farming, was reportedly traumatized by the incident and fainted upon discovering the mass deaths.
Gowhar Ahmad, the farm’s manager, expressed shock at the sudden turn of events. “The fish were healthy and behaving normally on Friday evening. However on Saturday morning, I was shocked to find that most of them had died,” Gowhar recounted.
The cause of the death is believed to be poisoning, though it remains unclear whether the act was intentional or accidental.
“It’s possible that someone deliberately poisoned the fish, or it could be due to an orchardist washing pesticide laden spray equipment in the stream that supplies water to the fish pond,” Gowhar speculated.
The fish farm, which was established earlier this year, was expected to yield a promising first hatch. However, the incident has dashed those hopes, leading to substantial financial loss for the family.
Gowhar has called for increased awareness among the public regarding the dangers of washing pesticide-laden equipment in freshwater streams, as it can cause severe harm to aquatic life. He also appealed to authorities to issue advisories to orchardists and requested compensation for the affected farmer on humanitarian grounds.
Assistant Director of Fisheries for Pulwama, Zahoor Ahmad, confirmed the incident, stating that a team had visited the farm.
“The fish died during the night hours due to poisoning,” Ahmad said, noting that the exact circumstances—whether intentional or accidental— is unclear.
Ahmad highlighted that pesticides, even in small quantities, are highly toxic to fish. He advised the farm owner to drain the contaminated water from the pond and replace it with fresh water.
The department is expected to prepare a report by evening to determine the exact number of fish that perished in the incident.