Keri: The Mhadei river, that provides drinking and irrigation water to Goa, also possesses rich diversity of the fresh water fishes which need to be documented, said Jay Sakhala, a wildlife expert. During a field visit organised by the Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade, Sakhala explained to the participants the importance of the fresh water ecosystems.“More than 300 fresh water fish species have been reported in the Western Ghats. A total of 31 species of fresh water fish belonging to seven orders, 12 families and 21 genera were recorded. The highest number of species were found in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary,” he said.Sakhala also took the participants inside the Khalsa nullah, a tributary of Mhadei river that flows through the forest areas in Sattari. He showed them indigo barb, melon barb and other such species that have been thriving in the Khalsa nullah.“For the first time,we organised a session with the field visit inside the Khalsa nullah, that helped participants get first-hand information about the fresh water fish diversity of the Mhadei region,” a member of the Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade, Sanket Naik, told TOI.
