Environmental authorities have blamed industrial waste for the death of tonnes of dead fish that have filled one of the main rivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They say industrial waste from a sugar and ethanol plant was dumped in the river which has led to the catastrophe. Sao Paulo’s prosecutors in a statement said&nbsp;that 10 to 20 tonnes of fish died on the Piracicaba River in southeastern Brazil. Scenes at the river, on Wednesday, showed fish corpses carpeting the waterway, with vast stretches of the river completely littered.

The Piracicaba River crosses a protected area named Tanqua. It is known as Sao Paulo’s mini-Pantanal, after the tropical wetlands famous for abundant wildlife.

The prosecutors further added that the initial investigation showed an “irregular discharge of wastewater” from Estiva’s Sao Jose plant in the community of Rio das Pedras. This wastewater then entered a stream which flows into the Piracicaba River.&nbsp;

<h2>Impact of the mass die-off</h2>

Adriano Queiroz, director of licensing at Sao Paulo’s environmental agency, told the Associated Press that owing to the number of fish and the variety of species that have perished in the incident, the impact on biodiversity is significant. “It will take years for the environment to recover," he said.&nbsp;

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Prosecutors say that the disaster is extremely serious and will have a major impact on the fishermen and the local community.

“This sad environmental disaster has moved everyone because of the seriousness and extent of the impacts,” prosecutors said.

Further steps regarding civil and criminal liability will be taken once more technical information is made available. A full report into the water conditions has also been demanded. Sao Paulo’s secretary for public security said in a statement that the police are investigating to see if an environmental crime was committed.

Sao Paulo’s state environmental agency, CETESB in Portuguese, says that they first received reports of the mass fish deaths on July 7. People complained of a strong odour coming from the river. The Salto Grande hydroelectric power plant was ordered to increase the amount of water released to dilute the pollution. But later, reports of another mass die-off in Tanqua, about 37 miles from the city of Piracicaba, started emerging.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Environmental authorities have blamed industrial waste for the death of tonnes of dead fish that have filled one of the main rivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They say industrial waste from a sugar and ethanol plant was dumped in the river which has led to the catastrophe.

Environmental authorities have blamed industrial waste for the death of tonnes of dead fish that have filled one of the main rivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They say industrial waste from a sugar and ethanol plant was dumped in the river which has led to the catastrophe. Sao Paulo’s prosecutors in a statement said that 10 to 20 tonnes of fish died on the Piracicaba River in southeastern Brazil. Scenes at the river, on Wednesday, showed fish corpses carpeting the waterway, with vast stretches of the river completely littered. The Piracicaba River crosses a protected area named Tanqua. It is known as Sao Paulo’s mini-Pantanal, after the tropical wetlands famous for abundant wildlife. The prosecutors further added that the initial investigation showed an “irregular discharge of wastewater” from Estiva’s Sao Jose plant in the community of Rio das Pedras. This wastewater then entered a stream which flows into the Piracicaba River. Impact of the mass die-off Adriano Queiroz, director of licensing at Sao Paulo’s environmental agency, told the Associated Press that owing to the number of fish and the variety of species that have perished in the incident, the impact on biodiversity is significant. “It will take years for the environment to recover," he said. Also Read: Research project goes wrong! Thailand waters invaded by ‘alien’ fish from Africa Prosecutors say that the disaster is extremely serious and will have a major impact on the fishermen and the local community. “This sad environmental disaster has moved everyone because of the seriousness and extent of the impacts,” prosecutors said. Further steps regarding civil and criminal liability will be taken once more technical information is made available. A full report into the water conditions has also been demanded. Sao Paulo’s secretary for public security said in a statement that the police are investigating to see if an environmental crime was committed. Sao Paulo’s state environmental agency, CETESB in Portuguese, says that they first received reports of the mass fish deaths on July 7. People complained of a strong odour coming from the river. The Salto Grande hydroelectric power plant was ordered to increase the amount of water released to dilute the pollution. But later, reports of another mass die-off in Tanqua, about 37 miles from the city of Piracicaba, started emerging. (With inputs from agencies)

Mass fish die-off reported from Sao Paulo river in major environmental disaster

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Mass fish die-off reported from Sao Paulo river in major environmental disaster