CHENNAI: Hundreds of fish have died in the Thamaraikulam lake at Ambattur due to depleting water level in the lake. Local fishermen noticed the dead fish floating after a strong stench filled the air on Monday night.
“We went to fish earlier this morning (on Tuesday) and we were shocked to see that the fish were dead and rotting,” said K Mani, a local fisherman.
When water in the reservoir dries up, it is common for fish to die, said Arun Krishnamurthy from Environmental Foundation of India. “Fish can survive even when pollution levels are diluted by the quantity of water. When the water body is dried up, it becomes difficult for them to live in highly concentrated water with very little oxygen,” he said.
This is the first time in many years that the fish have shown up dead on the banks, said K Prasanna, a resident living in the periphery of the pond. “We have faced water shortage before. But the pond has never dried up to the point of fishes dying,” she said.
Speaking to Express, a Metro Water official said all rain-fed tanks in the area were drying up and water crisis was getting acute. “Even though it is Public Works Department that maintains the tank, the Corporation and Metro Water have cleaned up most of the fish and buried them nearby to ensure safety of public health,” he said.
Stench
Strong stench from dead fish filled the air in the area on Monday night