Thousands of Dead Fish Found in Bengaluru’s Chikkanagamangala Lake; Locals Blame Waste Contamination

Thousands of dead fish were found floating in Bengaluru’s Chikkanagamangala Lake, marking the second such incident in the city in two years. The mysterious deaths have alarmed local residents, who believe that contaminated water from a nearby solid waste management plant run by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is to blame.

Residents reported the issue to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and are awaiting an official inspection of the lake water. The concerns stem from ongoing fears that untreated waste from the Chikkanagamangala waste-processing plant is seeping into the lake. "Similar to last year, thousands of fishes died in Chikkanagamangala lake (Biocon lake) near Electronic City. Mostly due to toxic water entering the lake from a nearby waste management plant operated by BBMP," posted X user Electronic City Rising, who shared a video showing the grim scene.

Check Out the Viral Video

Locals have been raising concerns about the plant's unscientific waste management since 2018, but no action has been taken, according to residents. The waste-processing plant handles around 100 metric tonnes of garbage daily and is situated about 300 meters from the lake. A recent National Green Tribunal (NGT) inspection revealed that the facility lacks adequate leachate-treatment systems.

The situation drew attention from prominent voices, including Biocon founder and chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who criticized the government’s inaction. “It is very irresponsible of government agencies to pollute rejuvenated lakes. All our efforts were destroyed by this sewage and toxic water despite being assured that the inlet would be closed,” Mazumdar-Shaw wrote in a post on X.

Officials from Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), however, denied responsibility, stating, "We installed a leachate-treatment unit at the plant around five months ago, treating 50,000 litres daily. No untreated waste is released, and the treated water is used for tree planting. Any sewage in the lake likely comes from other sources."

The investigation into the exact cause of the contamination is ongoing, with local residents demanding urgent government intervention to prevent further ecological damage.