Water mixed with pesticides has reduced fish production in Kulekhani

Hetaunda In Makwanpur's famous Kulekhani Reservoir 9Indrasarovar 0, the weight of fish as well as production is decreasing in the last year. According to Fisheries Development Center Kulekhani and Indrasarovar Fishermen's Association, the main reason for the decline in fish growth is the chemical pesticides used in commercial vegetable farming in the villages around the lake.

Vikas Balami, vice president of the Indrasarovar Fisheries Association, informed that the Indrasarovar, which is about seven kilometers long and spread over an area of 11,156 cubic meters, currently has 400 cages and 9 cages and is producing fish at a rate of 4.5 kg per cubic meter. According to the association, both the average weight and number of fish are decreasing in recent years.

According to Balami, the pesticides and chemical fertilizers used in vegetable farming get mixed into the lake through the canals during the rainy season. He said, "When this water mixed with pesticides reaches the lake, it affects the natural food of the fish, the micro-organisms that the fish eat called plankton, and the micro-organisms, so that the fish do not grow as fast as before."

Especially cold water species such as silver carp, bighead and grass carp have been affected more. These fish depend on naturally occurring green algae and small animals. Balami, the vice president of the Fishermen's Association, mentioned that both the weight and growth of fish decreased when pesticides destroyed those resources.