11 fishkill cases in 6 months as pollution chokes B’luru lakes

Bengaluru has seen at least 11 incidents of mass fishkill in its lakes in the first six months of this year. Many more may have gone unnoticed and unreported.

Hundreds of dead fish were seen floating in the lakes, a clear indication of rising pollution in water bodies, experts say. Multiple instances of fishkill in a single lake show there were no preventive steps.

A closer look at the incidents revealed that the majority of the affected lakes are located in peripheral areas. Delays in laying sewage lines and Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) have resulted in sewage entering lakes and disturbing the lake ecosystem, experts said.

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Officials from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) said they were working on identifying any gaps in the sewerage network in the outer areas. “In peripheral areas, the project of laying sewerage lines is almost complete. The construction of STPs is also in progress,” a BWSSB official said.

“Reports revealed that the entry of sewage into lakes was the major cause of fishkill. Even after multiple complaints, the authorities have failed to arrest the entry of sewage,” said Raghavendra B Pacchapur, lake activist and programme manager, ActionAid Association India.

V Ramprasad, co-founder and convenor of Friends of Lakes (FOL), said poor maintenance of stormwater drains (SWDs) in Bengaluru could have also polluted the water bodies.

“During the monsoon, heavy rains wash off all the pollutants left in SWDs. If the drains are not maintained, pollutants may enter the lakes, resulting in fishkill,” he said.

While the government has set up multiple bodies, none of them has taken the responsibility to act on such incidents, he said. While the BBMP is the guardian of the lake, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is responsible to keep a watch on pollution, and the BWSSB is expected to handle sewage.

“We have held a series of meetings with the BWSSB and also written to the KSPCB. But the entry of sewage into many lakes continues. We are not sure how to address it since the BWSSB has to take measures,” a senior BBMP official from the lakes department said.

KSPCB officials said on condition of anonymity that the board checks water quality periodically and serves notices to the offenders.

Ramprasad pointed out the BBMP’s failure in maintaining the lakes and focusing on beautification. “While the BBMP calls for a maintenance contract, they fail to mention that the contractor is also responsible to maintain the water quality. None of the contracts includes these measures,” he said.

According to the data compiled by ActionAid Association, an organisation working for social and ecological justice, 17 such incidents were reported in 2022.