Thousands of fish die in Siak River

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