Sewage flow causes fish-kill in Bengaluru’s Kothanur lake; KSPCB assures action

Due to the continuous flow of sewage waste into the Kothanur lake in JP Nagar, Bengaluru, a fish-kill was reported in the water body on August 23, Tuesday. While in March the dead fishes were found to be floating in the wetlands, this time the fish died in the larger water body.

Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has assured action in the matter and said, “the entry of sewage from stormwater drain into the lake has been observed, and immediate action will be taken in this matter.”

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and KSPCB issued notice to the Bangalore water supply and sewerage board in July, directing them to take necessary steps to cease the sewage flow. KSPCB revealed that there are about 36 water bodies not suited for aquatic life, in a water quality analysis.     

32 fish-kill incidents in Bengaluru

According to the data available, from 2017 to 2022, a total of 32 fish-kill incidents were reported in Bengaluru, raising concerns among environmentalists. The report submitted by the non-profit ActionAid Association to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) reveals that there have been eight incidents of fish deaths out of the 32 in the last five years, which have occurred in a span of just seven months. These incidents remained out of the observations of the KSPCB, the report added. Moreover, no remedial action was taken either by the KSPCB or the BBMP following the reported deaths, said ActionAid Association.

Sewage release major reason for fish-kills

As per the secondary research carried out by the ActionAid Association, 51 per cent of the fish kills were due to sewage entry, 23 per cent due to toxins and chemicals, 12 per cent due to entry of industrial effluents, etc.

Image: ANI