Fishermen Died While Looking For Fish At Wlingi Dam And Lodoyo

BLITAR A resident of Serut Hamlet, Gogodoso Village, Kanigoro District, Blitar Regency, reportedly died while looking for fish in the Brantas River, Sunday (27/4), during a patchiering or patchier activity at the Wlingi Dam and Lodoyo.

Head of the Public Relations Section of the Blitar Police, Ipda Putut Siswahyudi, explained that the victim with the initials KSN (67) was trying to find fish by the river when the incident occurred.

"The victim fell suddenly while embracing the person in front of him. The witness who was at the location tried to help by deploying the victim on the ground, but the victim was already dead," said Putut.

According to witness testimony, before the incident the victim had been looking for fish for about 30 minutes by walking along the hard mud at the bottom of the river. Police suspect the victim suffered severe fatigue which led to death.

Medical officers who arrived at the location conducted an examination and found no signs of violence on the victim's body. After the examination process is complete, the body is then handed over to the family for burial.

Meanwhile, Regional 1 Vice President of Perum Jasa Tirta I, Ganindra Adi Cahyono, appealed to the public to be more careful during the patching activity. This activity is scheduled for one week, from April 27 to May 3, 2025.

In the process, all floodgates at the Wlingi and Lodoyo Dams are opened to optimize sediment disposal and increase reservoir capacity.

Ganindra reminded that although local phenomena such as fishing when patching becomes a tradition, high water discharge and heavy currents can endanger safety.

"This local wisdom needs to be accompanied by high vigilance. Heavy river discharge can easily drag people, and we don't want any casualties," he said.

Authorities appeal to the public to always prioritize safety in activities around the river, especially during the patching period.