Agartala: Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has said that the oxygen levels in waterbodies increase when ducks swim in it which was corroborated by some experts. Deb had said at a programme at the water palace of Neermahal in Tripura's Sepahijala district that when ducks swim in waterbodies they recycle water and their swimming increases the oxygen level in it.
His statement made on Monday went viral on social media.
He also said that he wants to distribute 50,000 ducklings among the villagers who live near Rudrasagar lake, where the water palace is situated, to provide an alternative source of income for them.
According to Deb, at least Rs 6 crore could be generated per year by properly rearing the ducklings.
BJP spokesman in Tripura Ashok Sinha came out in support of the chief minister's claim that oxygen level in waterbodies increases when ducks swim in it.
"What Biplab Kumar Deb has said is 100 per cent correct. People who are laughing are the ones who should be laughed at. They are ignorant. Ducks do raise oxygen levels," Sinha, who is a physician, claimed in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
He also quoted an observation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN in support of his claim.
"Ducks aerate the water while swimming, thus, they are called biological aerators," he said.
When contacted, he further clarified that if one wants to nurture water properly, he should rear ducks to enrich the ecosystem around the water body.
The joint director of animal resource development department Manoranjan Sarkar too backed Debs statement saying "When duck take in water, one has to understand that it increases oxygen level like an aerator does a in water body."
He further said that the excrete of ducks is the ideal food for fish
When contacted, Mihir Kumar Das, a scientist attached to Tripura State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) too supported the chief minister's view.
"The ingestion system of a duck is very unique ... It functions like an aquarium. When the duck takes in water there is water bubble, due to which oxygen level in the waterbody is bound to be increased. Therefore, when ducks swim in a water body it increases the oxygen level in it", he said.
According to him, raring ducks has another benefit too. "We often see a lake or pond is covered with algal bloom which adversely affects the water's eco-system. If ducks swim in such a waterbody the layer of algal bloom is broken which improves its eco-system," he added.
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