Dead fish pollute river

Dead fish pollute river

PEKANBARU, Riau: Since early this month, thousands of fish have been found floating dead on Mandau River near Sungai Selodang village in Bengkalis, Antara reported yesterday.

Residents along the river have stopped using the water for washing and cooking because it has started to smell and has turned murky.

Some residents said the fish might have been poisoned by industrial waste dumped into the river by a factory near the river.

In January, the Jatiluhur dam in West Java was covered with 1,560 tons of dead fish, forcing the local water company to reduce output. Strong alternating currents caused by the rainy season were blamed for the mass deaths in West Java. (swe)