Masses of dead fish were seen floating two days ago on the surface of the Moheet and Mariouteya canals, in the area of Harraneya and Shabramant. The Environment Ministry held the 6th of October Irrigation Department responsible for the problem.
Residents of the area hurried to collect the fish, despite warnings by the police that the fish might be dangerous to health, while several fishermen headed to the Environment Ministry and the Harraneya police station to file reports of the incident. The fishermen confirmed that the General Authority for the Development of Fish Resources had rented out the canal to them, and they complained that the death of the fish jeopardizes their only source of livelihood.
"This is the way food is guaranteed for my kids. Fish is good," said Sayed Hasab el-Naby, a resident of Harraneya, who collected four sacks of fish. Other residents were going to the Moneeb fish market to sell the fish they had collected.
Environment Minister Maged George has decided to launch an investigation into the incident. Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, George described how preliminary investigations have shown that the 6th of October Irrigation Department conducted a large-scale sanitization of the canal according to its annual plan, and that this led to the death of large amounts of fish in the canal.
Ali Abu Sdeira, head of the Central Department of Regional Branches, said that the Mariouteya canal is unfit for breeding fish and fishing activities. Abu Sdeira stressed that fish from the canal are dangerous to eat, and that anyone breeding fish in the canal is breaking the law and may be subject to investigation.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
