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Use of water from Lik River banned after dead fish found

Authorities in Kasy district, Vientiane province, have banned  people living along a section of the Lik River from using and drinking water and eating fish from the river after lifeless fish were found in some places.
District officials said on Tuesday they would not allow people living in Viengkeo and Nathaen villages to consume water from the Lik River after learning that the quality of the water was unsafe.

Officials detected polluted water and dead fish in the area earlier this week and issued an official ban on using water from the river. 
According to initial inspections by the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department, polluted water was found in the two villages of Viengkeo and Nathaen and four to five kilograms of dead fish were collected from the river.
A large number of fish were found floating dead about one kilometre from a construction site in Kasy district, District Governor Mr Sithon Sengphachanh told Vientiane Times on Tuesday.
It is believed the fish were killed by chemicals used at the construction site, although details of the investigation are expected to be revealed later. Most of the dead fish were identified as tilapia, Chinese carp, and barb.
Mr Sithon said 11 villages were located along the river but local authorities found dead fish only in Viengkeo and Nathaen.
People were advised to wait for the results of tests before eating any fish or using water from the Nam Lik. Local people brought samples of dead fish and river water for testing. District officials will issue another notice when they get the test results.
This is the first time that dead fish have been found in the Nam Lik, which flows through the centre of Kasy and Meungfeuang districts and connects to small rivers in the northern provinces.
Most of the people who live along the river are fishermen.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update February 19, 2020)


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