JOIN USHundreds of fish die at Karanji lake
Following the recent copious rains, a storm water drain overflowed claiming the lives of hundreds of fish at one of the prime tourist locations — Karanji lake on Lalitha Mahal road, in the city.
Early on Saturday, a worker at the lake noticed the carcass of fish, triggering an alarm. Soon, two boats were pressed into service to clear them. The fish belong to catla and grass species, and weigh between 10 kg and 15 kg.
Though a similar incident was reported two years ago, the fish kill this time is to a larger extent.
Speaking to the media, Executive Director of Zoo B P Ravi, under whose authority the lake is also managed, said, whenever it rains heavily, sewage water enters into the lake from three sides. This incident was caused by the overflowing drain from Siddarthanagar, located adjacent to the lake.
Zoo veterinarian Dr Suresh said that whenever waste water is mixed with pristine water, the oxygen content is destroyed, resulting in the lack of oxygen supply for the aquatic animals. The water eventually turns toxic.
As an immediate measure, limestones are being put into the lake to check the toxic content. The stone which is rich in calcium acts as a disinfectant. Though water samples are regularly tested once in two to three months, following the incident, water samples are being collected and sent to a laboratory.
Breeding
The Zoo has been generating revenue by breeding fishes in large numbers from the past several years. Every year, depending on the season, up to one lakh fry (baby fish) are released twice into the water. A fortnight ago, a batch of fishes were sold to a prospective buyer. Else, the situation could have been grave, officials added.
Works to divert sewage
Earlier, whenever it rained, water overflowing from underground drainage at Siddarthanagar was causing a spell of trouble at Karnji lake. Following this, the Mysore City Corporation in the month of March, launched works to arrest the flow of sewage into water, at an estimated cost of Rs 30 lakh under Chief Minister’s special grant of Rs 100 crore. The work up to three km, is to divert the sewage towards M G Road, Assistant Executive Engineer (KUWS and DB), Rajagopal told Deccan Herald.