PERAMBALUR: Alarmed by the deaths of hundreds of fishes in a lake spread over 980 acres at Ladapuram in the district over the past ten days, locals seek immediate intervention of the authorities to discover the cause and restore the waterbody. The lake fed by Pachamalai Hills and maintained by the Public Works Department irrigates about 700 acres of land in the village. The waterbody, however, dried up over the years owing to a lack of maintenance.
Rain spells in the past two years changed the situation with the lake again for the better, allowing villagers to cultivate paddy and fishes to thrive in it. The fishes in the lake floating dead in the hundreds over the past few days have hence come as a shock to the villagers, who soon alerted the Ladapuram VAO, panchayat, and the PWD of the unusual sight.
J Ramakrishnan, a resident of Ladapuram, said, "Ten days ago, we went to the lake and were shocked to see the fish floating dead. It is common for fish to die from the heat. But the fact that it is in the hundreds left us in doubt. Someone might have used explosives to catch the fish. This is reprehensible."
"We are afraid to supply water from the lake to our cattle as more and more fishes float dead here without any known reason. Authorities should immediately inspect and test the water," he added.
Another resident, J Harikrishnan, said, "Even two days ago, I saw fishes floating as if in a coma in the lake. The dead fishes floating emanate a strong stench. We could not get close to the lake. Hundreds of fishes floating dead in the lake is a first.”
The deaths of the aquatic organisms has also cast doubts on the conduct of the fishing festival -- which last took place 10 years ago -- this time, he added. When contacted, district PWD Assistant Executive Engineer V Velmurugan expressed ignorance on the matter. “We will check the issue and take action," he added.