Something is wrong in the sea water. Large number of dead sea fish have reportedly been found floating on the water around coastal areas like Ku-tubdia, Maheshkhali, Anwara and Sandwip. This is an alarming piece of news. The worry does not stop at the suggestion of serious pollution of the sea water adding a new dimension to our environmental degradation but raises the sinister possibility of a major health sector disaster. Given the poor level of health consciousness and economic compulsion of people in this part of the world, there is every possibility that these dead fishes will land in the markets and will be swooped upon as real bargain by the unsuspecting buyers, specially those who are not privileged enough to have this once abundant protein source regularly and sufficiently in their daily diet. And that can prove an occasion for collective and mammoth health disorder. The government will have to take steps to guard against this possibility while making a thorough investigation into this marine mayhem.

Forming a committee comprising experts in marine zoology will be the first step in that direction. The work has reportedly begun. Samples of the dead fishes have been collected for that purpose. Hopefully the reason behind this sudden devastation of valuable marine resources will be known sooner than later. There have been reports quoting officials of the relevant departments suggesting that dumping in the sea of rice earlier deemed unfit for human consumption is the cause of this pestilence. If that exactly is the reason then the government should think about exercising its right to protect country's environment much more strongly than it has done so far. How dare foreign ships despite being instructed to dump the rotten rice in the deep sea offloaded themselves close to our coastal areas? Who will foot the bill for the damage? Apart from boosting naval vigilance to guard against such stealthy sabotaging of the environment in future, the authorities should seek international cooperation to curb the pollution of seas and oceans.