Tons of dead fish cover major river in Brazil after alleged dumping of industrial waste

TANQUA, Brazil (AP) — A number of tons of fish have died alongside one of many important rivers in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state after an alleged unlawful dumping of commercial waste from a sugar and ethanol plant, environmental authorities and prosecutors stated Wednesday.

A preliminary evaluation estimates that between 10 and 20 tons of fish died on the Piracicaba River in southeastern Brazil, Sao Paulo’s prosecutors stated in a press release.

The preliminary investigation factors to an “irregular discharge of wastewater” from Estiva’s Sao Jose plant locally of Rio das Pedras and it reached a stream that flows into the Piracicaba River, prosecutors stated.

Estiva, the corporate that operates the plant, didn’t reply to a number of AP requests for remark.

“It’s going to take years for the atmosphere to get well,” stated Adriano Queiroz, director of licensing at Sao Paulo’s environmental company, in a video name. Because of the variety of fish killed and the number of species affected, the impression on biodiversity is critical, he added.

The Piracicaba River crosses a protected space named Tanqua, that has been dubbed Sao Paulo’s mini-Pantanal, after the tropical wetlands well-known for ample wildlife and dazzling pure scenes. Its basin covers an space of 12,531 sq. kilometers.

On Wednesday, a carpet of floating fish corpses lined the waterway, littering stretches of the river.

“This unhappy environmental catastrophe has moved everybody due to the seriousness and extent of the impacts,” prosecutors stated, including that the scenario of the fishermen and the area people can also be “very worrying.”

Prosecutors have requested a full report into circumstances of the water and are ready for additional technical info earlier than taking the following steps concerning civil and legal legal responsibility.

Police are investigating to find out if an environmental crime was dedicated, Sao Paulo’s secretary for public safety stated in a press release.

The corporate dangers a hefty tremendous.

Sao Paulo’s state environmental company, identified in Portuguese as CETESB, first obtained reviews of the mass die-off and robust odor emanating from the river on July 7.

That very same day, the company requested the Salto Grande hydroelectric energy plant to extend the quantity of water launched to dilute the air pollution.

By July 9, information confirmed a rise within the quantity of dissolved oxygen, favoring circumstances for survival of the fish, CETESB stated.

However reviews emerged of one other mass die-off in Tanqua, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from town of Piracicaba the place information of lifeless fish first emerged.

The Piracicaba River runs via one of many oldest areas of occupation of Sao Paulo state and was used as a navigation route for small steamers and provided water for sugar cane and occasional farms, in line with the nation’s nationwide statistics company.

A extreme drought within the Amazon additionally killed large portions of fish final yr.

____

Observe AP’s local weather protection at: