Due to the loose monitoring of fishing in Makwanpur, illegal fishing techniques such as electro-fishing, blasting and pesticides in local rivers have gone rampant.

Fishermen are found to have been using electric current and poisons at Rapti, Manhari, Bhaise, Samari and Karra rivers in the district, leaving aquatic habitats completely destroyed.

Lal Bahadur Syantang of Namtar confirmed that locals are well busy in the streams with their electro-fishing techniques and pesticides. “Many groups of people can be seen fishing illegally in the river,” he said. People are said to be using techniques such as electric shocks with the help of batteries.

Even though the trend of  fishing in the rivers using electric current, blasting and pesticides has been going on for the past several years, the local administration has stayed a mere onlooker. Deputy Superintendent of Police Sishu Sharma admitted that the use of chemicals and electric shocks have been a common sight for the past couple of years and that they have not been able to curb the trend.

“Even though we always try our best to arrest them, the suspects have always fled away,” said Sharma.

A traditional fisherman, forty-seven-year-old Jokhman Chepang of  Raksirang VDC lamented that using nets in an attempt to catch fishes has not been successful for the past three years. “Ever since people have been using those illegal techniques to catch fishes, there are hardly any aquatic animals left in the river,” he said.

“The native species of fishes will soon go extinct,” said Shankar Dahal, an aquaculture expert. Another expert Dilip Kumar Jha said out of 108 native species of fishes in Makwanpur rivers, around 42 species of fishes will soon go extinct.