Investigation into cause of mass fish death

Описание: (4 Nov 2018) LEADIN:
Iraqi authorities are investigating the cause of a mass fish die-off in the Euphrates River south of Baghdad.
Hundreds of tonnes of carp were found dead and floating on the shore on Saturday.
STORYLINE:
An excavator scoops up thousands of dead fish from the Euphrates River near the town of Hindiyah, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Baghdad.
Endless piles of lifeless, silver carp float in clumps on the banks of the river.
It's still not known exactly what killed these fish but residents and local farmers in the area have long complained of substandard water management.
The fish were being farmed in cages for sale in domestic markets, where grilled carp is considered a national dish.
Ayad Talibi, head of Iraq's Fish Producers' Syndicate, called it a "massive extermination".
Water pollution has been a major issue across Iraq in the past months.
Health officials say some 100,000 people were taken to hospital for stomach illnesses in the southern Basra province, where sludge and yellow water was recorded flowing out of the taps.  It led to demonstrators rioting and demanding better services.
Iraqi officials are now investigating what exactly caused this die-off. Wissam Muslani, deputy governor for Babil province, which includes Hindiyah, says initial tests suggest it may be the result of a virus that infected the gills of the fish.
But critics say the mass deaths may have been caused by low oxygen levels, agricultural runoff, and wastewater pollution.
Ali Akbar, a medical officer for the World Health Organization says the situation is "very dangerous" for both the environment and for health.
"My first message is that make sure nobody eats any fish. And my second message is make sure that no fisherman do fishing these days until all this is cleaned," he says.
News of the carp-clogged Euphrates has had an immediate impact on fish sales, according to fishmongers from Hindiyah to Baghdad.
Stalls selling fish on the roadside remain empty as does the fish market in the Sadr City neighbourhood in Baghdad.
Ali Ibrahim, a vendor by the side of the highway outside Hindiyah, says he is closing his stall and returning to his family.
"People are no longer eating fish. It's all over."

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