Microplastics found in fish from Uttarakhand's Alaknanda river

A study published last year stated that in the last decade, the proportion of fish consuming plastic particles has doubled across all species. (Representative image)

Microplastics have been found in the guts of fish in the Alaknanda, a major river that flows through Srinagar city of Pauri district in Uttarakhand.

The research which revealed the presence of harmful polymer fragments and fine particles of nylon, including microplastics, was conducted by the Himalayan Aquatic Biodiversity Department of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University. These plastic particles are harmful to the fish and those who consume them.

Aquatic Biodiversity Department head Dr Jaspal Singh Chauhan told PTI that he and his team conducted the research for the last several months. They found the presence of small particles and fibers of plastic in the body of fish. Expressing concern, Dr Singh said if the condition of fish in a mountain river is like this, then the situation in the plains could be even more dangerous, where plastic and other waste is being dumped directly into the rivers on a large scale.

"After confirming the presence of microplastics in the fish, we sent the samples to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, along with an institute in Chandigarh for analysis, he said, adding they have reaffirmed their findings. With this, the scope of this research has expanded, and now a similar study will be done on the fish in other rivers, including the Ganga, Chauhan added.

According to a study published in Down to Earth, 386 marine fish species are known to have consumed plastic debris, of which 210 species are commercially important.

The report also stated that in the last decade, the proportion of fish consuming plastic particles has doubled across all species. Studies published from 2010-2013 found that about 15 per cent of the fish tested contained plastic while those published from 2017-2019 state that the share increased to 33 per cent.

(With inputs from PTI)