Thousands of fish die in Siak River

PEKANBARU, Riau: Thousands of fish and shrimp in the Siak River in Riau province have died over the past few days, likely because of pollution, a local environmentalist said on Tuesday.

"The Siak River is thoroughly polluted, not just by industrial waste but also by household garbage, the city and the poisonous chemicals from oil palm plantations," said Tengku Amriful, an environmental expert at Riau University.

He said that residents living along the river began finding the dead fish and shrimp floating in the water about three days ago.

When the floodwaters from the last rainy season receded, water flowed back into the river along with waste materials from the river's surrounding areas, he said.

With the start of the dry season, he said, the river's water levels would drop, not so however the waste materials which had flowed into the river. He said the fish and shrimp population would then be exposed to more densely polluted water that lacked oxygen.

Consequently, Amriful warned, more fish and shrimp could turn up dead during the upcoming dry season. -- Antara