Thousands of dead fish washed up onto the banks of a main lake in Bengaluru yesterday, officials said.
Residents complained that authorities had failed to repair a barrier to prevent sewage from flowing into Ulsoor Lake, which is located in the heart of the metropolis.
“The maintenance of the lake has been very poor,” said Mamata Saravanan from the Ulsoor municipal corporation. “The contamination is very high, leading to depletion of oxygen levels and the deaths of thousands of fish.”
Water samples were sent to a laboratory for testing, Saravanan said.
The lake is popular for boating; the army uses it for rowing competitions to get soldiers in better shape.
Federal Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in Delhi that he had held two meetings yesterday to discuss the issue, adding, “Officials have given me details on what they are doing to improve the situation.”
The minister said: “The lakes’ system in Bengaluru has been destroyed for the past few decades, colonies discharge their effluent in the lakes and that is why they are in such condition.”
“This was bound to happen. For the past two years we have been trying to warn authorities about a situation like this. The entire lake is going to become black because of the sewage mixing with the water. The bund that separated it has collapsed,” said a resident, V Purushottam.
“All the sewage from up-Bengaluru, and eastern Bengaluru, comes down in this drain, which comes to the Ulsoor Lake. Entire sewage has got into the lake, oxygen levels have depleted as a result of which fish have died,” he added.
Other residents said such incidents affect the image of the beautiful city.
Indian cities face increasing levels of water and air pollution due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.
Last year, toxic foam overflowed from Varthur Lake in Bengaluru and spilled onto nearby roads and areas.