Thousands of dead fishes were found floating on the surface of Rapti river in Gorakhpur.
The district administration has warned the locals from taking the fish as the exact reason behind fishes' death is yet to be known.
The officials who took stock of the situation suspect that the pollutants dumped into the river by a sugar mill located on India-Nepal border could be the reason behind the incident.
"It looks like the waste coming from a sugar mill and distillery at the border might have cause oxygen levels to drop in the water. A team from Pollution Board has come to analyze the water; even they suspect that it could be because of the pollutants. We are making an announcement in the nearby areas to not use these fishes in cooking as it could be harmful to health," said Ranjan Kumar, a district official.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ranjana Tripathi of the pollution department said that the initial findings point towards toxicity in the river water.
"Not all the fishes are dead; some are alive but floating on the surface. It looks like a case of toxicity, exact reason can be determined only after tests are completed," she said.
