Lower dissolved oxygen levels and civic inaction are causing fish deaths in the city’s lakes.
Story so far: At least four fish deaths in lakes have been reported in the past four months in Bengaluru. Activists argue that dissolved oxygen depletion and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) inaction are to blame.
- Earlier, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) categorised the Seetharam Palya Lake in Hoodi in the ‘E category’. It meant that the lake wasn’t fit for flora and fauna life.
- If the BWSSB had prevented raw sewage from entering the lake, it would’ve stopped the mass deaths of small fish.
Action or inaction? A KSPCB team has already inspected the lake for sewage dumping and pollution. If it is indeed as activists believe, the BWSSB will be held accountable. The BWSSB’s Waste Water Division passed the buck onto the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), who accused the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA).