CANBERRA, Australia: An Australian state government has announced plans to mechanically pump oxygen into lakes and rivers after hundreds of thousands of fish have died in heatwave conditions.
Up to a million dead fish were found floating last week in the Darling River in western New South Wales state and the state government announced on Tuesday that 1,800 more rotting fish had since been found in Lake Hume in the state’s south.
Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair says 16 battery-powered aerators have been bought and would be placed in various drought-affected waterways after they are delivered by Wednesday.
Experts blame heatwave conditions across much of Australia, drought and algal blooms for starving waterways of oxygen.
Water experts are meeting in Canberra to decide how the nation should respond to the crisis.
Australian state to pump oxygen into rivers as fish die
Updated 15 January 2019
Australian state to pump oxygen into rivers as fish die
- Up to a million dead fish were found floating last week in the Darling River in western New South Wales state
- Experts blame heatwave conditions across much of Australia, drought and algal blooms for starving waterways of oxygen
