A state indictment
In March, 1992, the District Committee for Science and Technology, Dharwad, an independent body set up by the state government, sent a team of scientists to take water samples from the Tungabhadra and examine the people of villages located along the banks of the river. Following are the main points of the report that the team submitted:
• Large-scale dying of fish began on March 20, 1992, and continued till March 25.
• Water was densely coloured (deep coffee colour to black).
• The river water was alkaline.
• Study of the internal organs of the dead fish revealed that their liver, spleen and kidney were swollen and eyes bulged. In the liver, degeneration of hepatic cells was observed.
• The gills of the fish were damaged.
• The villagers who were exposed to the polluted river water complained of skin irritation.
• People who consumed dead fish suffered from vomitting and diarrhoea.
• The team recommends that a Monitoring Committee be formed to check and control river water quality and that the effluents be discharged proportional to the flow of water in the river.
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