Microplastics have been found in the guts of fish in the Alaknanda, a major river that flows through Srinagar city of Pauri district in Uttarakhand.

The research which revealed the presence of harmful polymer fragments and fine particles of nylon, including microplastics, was conducted by the Himalayan Aquatic Biodiversity Department of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University.

Expressing concern, Aquatic Biodiversity Department head Dr Jaspal Singh Chauhan said if the condition of fish in a mountain river is like this, then the situation in the plains could be even more dangerous, where plastic and other waste is being dumped directly into the rivers on a large scale. “After confirming the presence of microplastics in the fish, we sent the samples to IIT, Roorkee, along with an institute in Chandigarh for analysis, he said, adding they have reaffirmed their findings.