Fishy business

There are not words to express how appalled we are at the recent report of fish being farmed from sewerage lagoons finding their way into the market and subsequently the dinner tables of many unsuspecting city families.
It goes without saying that the fish in these lagoons cannot be eaten and that their appearance in fish markets poses a public health menace of the first degree. As in cases of food adulteration that have been reported in the past, this latest revelation exposes just how disgraceful the situation is and how much at risk we all are from the very food we eat.
There is enough blame to go around. In the first place, it is the responsibility of Dhaka Wasa to ensure that there are no fish in these sewerage lagoons. To the extent that it is not possible to completely eradicate the fish from the lagoons, it is still the authority's responsibility to patrol them and ensure that unscrupulous parties do not fish in them. Finally, the law enforcement authorities need to crack down on the traders in this illegal market so that consumers can be confident that any fish they buy from the market is safe.
There can be no scope for this kind of endangering of public health. Each and every party in any way connected with this disgusting trade needs to be apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
An example must be made of those who have such cavalier disregard for the public good. The government must make protection of the public its highest priority, and what could be more important than safe-guarding the food supply and ensuring that the food people eat is healthy and unharmful.
Equally important is to send a message to those who make a living preying on the public, purveying foul, adulterated, or spoiled items with callous indifference to the dangers to those who will consume them. There is no room in society for such poison peddlers and the sooner they are put out of action and made an example of, the better for all of us.