KUALA LUMPUR – Thousands of fish turned up dead along Sg Damansara near Shah Alam here this afternoon, raising public concern over possible river pollution.
Local resident Visithra Manikam said she saw the dead fish at about 11.45am today, floating down the river towards Sg Klang.
She added that she drove several kilometres along the river and found more dead fish.
“I suspect the river is polluted,” the public relations consultant told The Vibes.
“I’m really sad as this section of the river is home to heron, egrets, painted storks, brahmin kites, and monitor lizards.”
Visithra, who posted several photographs on Twitter, said she was told the species of freshwater fish affected involved the common pleco, or ikan bandaraya, and tilapia.
She added that other witnesses told her that dead fish were spotted along the river near the sports stadium in Section 13, Shah Alam, while others spotted them near the Carlsberg brewery in the area.
“The trail of dead fish can be seen all the way up to TTDI Jaya.”
Visithra said she believed more dead fish could be found upriver.
This is the first time she has seen the high number of fish turning up dead since living in Shah Alam for a year.
The river runs for some 5.18km from Sg Buloh until Shah Alam.
Visithra said she also filed a complaint with the Environment Department, which acknowledged receiving her report.
She added that she hopes the authorities will take swift action to identify the cause of the incident. – The Vibes, June 23, 2021
