Hundreds of dead fish of different species were seen floating in Karanji Lake, a prominent tourist spot in the city, on Saturday. The weekend crowd was forced to stay away from the lake because of the stench.
The fish were allegedly killed after sewage from neighbouring Siddartha Nagar entered the tank through the connected storm water drain. The broken underground drainage pipes now pose a further threat to the surviving fish.
The authorities sprung into action by removing the dead fish and dumping them elsewhere to ensure that visitors do not stay away from the lake. The civic authorities too rushed to the spot to divert the flow of sewage.
Executive director of Chamarajendra Zoological Garden, B P Ravi, said the low oxygen level in the water due to contamination and extensive growth of algae may have led to the death of fish in the tank. The mixing of sewage in the tank was another reason, he added.
People in the area fear that the birds nesting near Karanji Lake will be affected.
The drains overflowed and sewage lines were damaged due to heavy rain over the last few days. People claimed sewage was gushing into the storm water drains near Milk Dairy as well. The inflow of sewage is likely to increase if the rain continues. It may be recalled that in the past too there have been such fish kills when Zoo officials have diverted the flow of sewage from Siddartha Nagar.