The sudden death of a large number of fish in Rawal Lake suggests the water is not fit for human consumption. The water supply from the dam has been suspended after dead fish were found in the lake. It indicates that either the water has been totally poisoned or at least significantly contaminated. The fact that the same water was declared fit for human consumption by the National Agriculture Research Council on the 11th of July raises concerns over the authorities’ handling of affairs. The district administration is shrugging off responsibility by saying that the fish died due to a ‘lack of oxygen’ and not by water contamination. The Fisheries Department, meanwhile, has lodged an FIR against a local mafia that allegedly added poisonous substances to the lake, resulting in deaths of fish. The latter authorities have alleged that the people from the mafia did so because they were stopped from fishing and boating in the lake, in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations. If the Fisheries Department was facing opposition from elements known to be a ‘mafia’, the authorities from that department should have taken the government into confidence so action could have been taken and security around the area could have been improved to prevent the contamination of water. In short, the Fisheries Department should answer for its failure to tackle the mafia. According to police, the local mafia is so powerful that it bullies officials from CDA, the Fisheries Department and even police. Media reports say the ‘mafia’ is backed by local politicians. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration should take immediate notice of this and act against those backing the group responsible for the contamination of water. This is the stage at which a dispute no longer remains a mundane issue of government authorities versus organised criminal groups with political support. If the water supply is indeed contaminated to a level where it kills fish, then the ‘mafia’ in question represents a mortal danger to the lives of Pakistani citizens — and ought to be dealt with in that context! * Published in Daily Times, July 18th, 2017.