Context: Recently, the landslides caused by an earthquake of 3.4 magnitude close to the border with China has led to mass fish death in the Kameng river in Arunachal Pradesh.

• Note: The region has been placed into Seismic Zone V, thus most vulnerable to earthquakes.

Key Incidence

• The gap between the earthquake and thousands of fish found floating in the river was more than a fortnight.
• Officials in the State’s East Kameng district said the earthquake on October 13 happened in the vicinity of the source of the river at an elevation of about 6,300 metres above Mean Sea Level. Kameng is not a transboundary river.
• The landslides dumped several tonnes of mud and rocks into the river, substantially reducing the flow of water.
• The river turned blackish due to very high turbidity resulting in low dissolved oxygen that killed the fish.

Key Steps taken

• The district authorities had a few days ago restricted the sale and consumption of fish from the river Kameng for two weeks to avoid possible food poisoning. 
• The authorities also deployed police personnel to patrol the river bank and urged community-based organisations to involve volunteers to sensitise people.

About Kameng River

• It is the right-bank tributary of the Brahmaputra river.
• It rises in the Tawang district in the eastern Himalayas. It forms the border between the East Kameng district and the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• In Assam, it flows through the Sonitpur district before joining the Brahmaputra at Tezpur.
• The Kameng River consists of two sections- the west consisting of the Akka hills and resided by the Akka tribes and the east consisting of the Dafla hills resided by the Daphla tribe.
• The Kaziranga National Park and the Pakkhui Wildlife Sanctuary are located near the Kameng river.