Fish worth Tk15.5cr die in Jashore fish farm as power outage disrupts oxygen supply

Fish worth an estimated Tk15.5 crore have died at a fish farm in Sonamukho Bil in Sharsha upazila of Jashore district, with the farm owners blaming an oxygen shortage caused by prolonged power outages.

The mass fish deaths began on Saturday (22 August) night at the Sajaner Gher of Raipur-Sonamukho Bil in Bahadurpur union. By Sunday morning, large quantities of pabda and other fish had died and were floating on the water, according to the farm owners.

However, Jashore Palli Bidyut Samity-1 disputed the claim that load-shedding caused the fish deaths, saying the fish began dying before the power outage and that the area experienced only 40 minutes of load-shedding that day.

Following controversy over the incident, the district administration has formed a five-member committee to investigate the cause of the fish deaths.

The affected farm, owned by AF Fisheries, was jointly established by Alfazul Haque and Faruk Hossain. According to the owners, around 6 million pabda fish were being cultivated across 200 bighas of ponds.

They estimated the total production at around 10,000 maunds, based on 15 pabda fish weighing approximately 1kg. At the current market price of around Tk15,000 per maund, the fish were worth approximately Tk15.5 crore.

The farm had also begun preparations to market the fish, including through export channels to India, the owners said.

Power outage blamed

Farm owner Alfazul Haque said prolonged power outages disrupted the farm's oxygen supply system, while adverse weather conditions later worsened the situation.

"We bought around Tk3.5 crore worth of fish feed on credit from various businesses. I have no idea how we will repay this debt," he said.

Faruk Hossain, another owner, said the farm's oxygen supply system collapsed after the power went out around 1am.

"Before morning, a huge number of pabda fish had died and started decomposing," he said.

He added that around 100 families directly and indirectly depend on the farm.

Farm officials said some of the pabda produced there are exported to India, meaning the fish farming operation contributes not only to the local market but also to foreign exchange earnings.

The affected farmers alleged that officials from the Sharsha upazila administration, Department of Fisheries and power authorities had not visited the site after the fish deaths began.

They demanded an immediate assessment of the damage and government assistance, including financial support, low-interest loans and rehabilitation.

Power utility disputes claim

Manzurul Islam, assistant general manager of the Benapole Sub-Zonal Office, said ongoing power shortages across the country had resulted in periodic load-shedding in different areas.

He attributed the shortage to disruptions in power generation at some plants, which had created a deficit in the national grid, particularly affecting rural and semi-urban areas.\

He said the country's power situation was gradually improving.

Mohammad Asaduzzaman Khan, general manager of Jashore Palli Bidyut Samity-1, said only 40 minutes of load-shedding had occurred in the affected area that day.

"Fish should not die within such a short period. We learned that the fish had started dying before the load-shedding began," he said.

He also said the farm operators had not installed a backup generator at the facility.