BENGALURU: Ulsoor lake, which was once the pride of Bengaluru, is in limelight again but for wrong reasons! Thousands of fish, shrimps and many birds like Egret were found dead on Monday.
The issue was brought to fore by Vijay Nishanth, Urban conservationist, who has been visiting Ulsoor lake to update on tree status in the area from the last one month. On Sunday, he noticed a dead fish floating and to check the status, he visited the lake again on Monday and found thousands of dead fish floating.
“I am of the opinion that the lake is polluted way beyond anyone’s guess. I also doubt that there could be sewage inflow into the lake,” said Nishanth.
He has also collected water samples, dead fish, shrimp and a dead egret to get it tested at Indian Institute of Science.
V Purushotham, President, Ulsoor Lake Resident Welfare Association says the lake is in pathetic condition from the last two years.
Corporator Mamatha Saravana, along with her husband Saravana, rushed to spot. When experts and residents raised the concern of sewage inflow into the lake, attributing the cause of death, some of them blamed on food used to raise Catfish. “To raise catfish, food and chemicals are put into lake and that has polluted the lake,” she said.
However Assistant Director, Fisheries Department, Dr Ananth who visited the spot says, this death is due rise in temperature from last four days.
“This has resulted in depletion of oxygen level and also due to sewage inflow the fish could have died. The samples have been sent to University of Agriculture Sciences in Hebbal to find out the reason,” he said.
Speaking about the issue,Ravindra, Executive Engineer, Lakes, BBMP says: “Sewage board and fisheries department have to give its cooperation to save our lake. BWSSB should not let any sewage into lake and the commercial activity that is thriving in BBMP lakes due to fisheries department permission to greedy contracts should be discouraged,”
he said. He further said that the dead fish are being collected and dumped in soil pit and covered.
KSPCB speaks
Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Chairperson, Lakshman terming this unfortunate and a issue of deep concern, said” A notice will be sent to BBMP, Fisheries department and BWSSB to seek their explanation.