Fumbisi: Varieties of fish including fingerlings have been found dead in the Fumbisi-Weisi stream in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region. The suspected fish poisoning raised concerns among residents in the community and the District, who are expressing shock at the development.
According to Ghana News Agency, a visit to the stream to assess the situation observed that fingerlings, tilapia, catfish among other types of fish were dead in the water. The colour of the water looked dark with an awful smell emanating from the stream, while some children in the community were seen swimming. Even though no mining activity was observed along the stream at the time of the visit, residents attributed the fish mortality to chemicals from illegal miners in the area, and called for immediate investigation into the matter.
When contacted on the issue, Mr Emmanuel Kuu-Ere Kob-Puo, the Builsa South District Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said, “It was brought to our attention. We wanted to be sur
e, so we sent two officers to the area, and they actually confirmed that there were dead fish including fingerlings in the stream.” He stated that the Service immediately engaged other stakeholders and started community education to prevent residents from consuming fish from the stream. “The main thing is that people should not consume the fish. Once they consume it, they are likely to have health issues,” Mr Kob-Puo cautioned, adding that “We want to be sure that nobody consumes the fish.”
When contacted again, Mr Kob-Puo said, “Currently as I speak, I am on the way to the site with the District Chief Executive, together with officers from the FDA and all relevant organizations to get some samples.” Asked if there were reported cases of people consuming the fish at health facilities in the area, Mr Kob-Puo said, “For now, no case is reported, but we have alerted all our health facilities to watch out for anybody coming with signs and symptoms of food poisoning or abdominal pain. So we are all alert.” He men
tioned that the media would be briefed after their investigation, and called for calm among residents as officials worked to ascertain the cause of the mortality.
Ms Evelyn Salifu, a resident, told the Ghana News Agency that the incident happened on Thursday, April 17, 2025. “It happened on Thursday. We were actually surprised to see the fish this way. Some of us came to the stream on the first day and picked the fish home, prepared and ate. We spiced and fried it well. The heat will kill any poison in it,” she said when asked if they were not concerned about possible fish poisoning. She added, “For today, the way the place is smelling, and with the colour of the water, we can’t collect the remaining fish.”
