With 66 people admitted on the first day of the Ganpati immersion due to fish stings, which took place at Girgaum Chowpatty on Tuesday, the chief minister said that experts believe it is the rise in the overall temperature that has resulted in the stingrays and jellyfish coming to the shore in the first place.
“The experts have told us that the jellyfish and stingrays tend to come closer to the shore to release eggs due to the higher temperatures. In the sea, these incidents do happen, but have increased in the recent years due to the increase in the overall temperature,” said the chief minister.
The civic body, as well as the state government, are now trying to figure out measures that they can take to avoid more such incidents in the coming days of the idol immersion, i.e. from September 14 to 18.
The victims who were stung on Tuesday experienced acute pain and lesion at the spot where they were stung. They were then taken to three different hospitals in the city with 38 admitted to BYL Nair Hospital, 27 in GT Hospital and one in JJ Hospital. All were administered painkillers and antibiotics. The doctors had said, “It is not a poisonous sting and we hope they will recover within a few hours. All the patients were stung when they were inside the water.”
Though the injury is not even remotely fatal, it certainly has become a cause of concern, at least from the medical point of view. On Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that it would not only make special arrangements in its hospitals for the main days of the immersion, but also set up health posts on the immersion sites for a quicker response.
Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said, “We are yet to find a solution to the problem that has emerged. Removing the fish from the water is not a feasible solution. However, we are in consultation with a number of agencies, which have expertise on the subject. We hope to work out something well within a time frame.”
The state government has approached the marine biologist experts, Central Institute Fisheries Education in Versova and also the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi in Kerala.
Following the incident, the state government and the BMC have swung into action. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute visited the site on Wednesday and studied the marine life in the region and also collected the water samples for further investigations. The jellyfish is an umbrella-shaped marine creature with long stings with its tentacles. It releases toxin into the body and causes acute pain, inflammation, and redness. Stingrays bite or sting with its pointed tentacles leaving a mark similar to that of the jellyfish.
Meanwhile, the state government has appealed that the devotees should not panic. It has also suggested home remedies for relief from the sting of the two fish. Application of lime and salt or lime stone is said to lessen the pain and inflammation caused by the fish-sting.
The chief minister has also instructed the BMC to make arrangements for proper guidance and instruction for devotees on the main days of immersion.