200 Tonnes Of Fish Die In Vietnam As Heatwave Causes Temperatures To Soar Over 40°C
That's about the weight of 30 elephants.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 03 May 2024, 04:51 PM
At least 200 tonnes of fish have died in a reservoir in Vietnam due to receding water levels caused by extreme hot weather in the region
According to The Independent, the dead fish have covered the Song May reservoir in Dong Nai province, which is the size of about 500 football fields.
Photos published by local media show almost no water visible when the reservoir is viewed from the horizon.
Meanwhile, an aerial photo shows the hundreds of thousands of floating dead fish in the reservoir, resembling a wasteland.
The province experienced a historic heatwave in April, with temperatures soaring past 40°C and shattering the previous record set in 1998.
Similar to other parts of Southeast and South Asia, Dong Nai province has experienced weeks without rainfall, leading to a significant decline in reservoir water levels that are insufficient to support marine life.
Besides the dry spell, local media also reported poor management that led to the fish dying en masse
Reservoir management had previously discharged water to save crops downstream, a resident identified as Nghia told AFP.
The reservoir is the water source for farms in the Trang Bom and Vinh Cuu districts of Dong Nai province.
"They then tried to renovate the reservoir, bringing in a pump to take the mud out so that the fish would have more space and water," Nghia said.
Earlier this year, the company began dredging, which involves removing silt and other material from the bottom of bodies of water. They planned to add more water for the fish afterwards.
However, the plan did not work, and when the heatwave struck, it triggered a large-scale fish die-off.
AFP also reported that the pungent smell of the dead fish has affected the lives of the residents near the reservoir.
"Our life has been turned upside down over the past 10 days because of the smell," Nghia added.
