Hundreds of dead fish have been floating in the Devarabeesanahalli lake in Mahadevapura zone for the past two days, but none of the civic agency’s officials has taken note of it so far.
The lake, spread over 39.31 acres and maintained by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), is surrounded by industrial units and housing complexes.
A BDA official told Deccan Herald that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) was responsible for the fish kill, as it had failed to stop the inflow of sewage and industrial pollutants into the lake. He said the water board had not made efforts to lay underground drainage pipes to ensure that waste did not pollute the water body.
The official was quick to add that the BDA did not have sufficient funds to maintain and revive the 117 lakes, which have been handed over to it. “We wrote to the Urban Development Department secretary over a month and half ago, seeking Rs 2,500 crore to develop the lakes. But till date, there has been no response. So, we are forced to undertake restoration work in phases, only 4-5 per year and the remaining are left unattended.”
For their part, the BWSSB officials said they did not have any sewage network in the Mahadevapura zone, which is a part of the 110 villages recently added to Bengaluru limits.
There is no underground drainage connection or Cauvery water pipeline connection. The BWSSB, too, is waiting for government funds to lay pipelines to manage waste and water pipelines, the officials added. The overpowering smell of rotten fish has engulfed the entire area, affecting residents living the lake’s vicinity. Pollution in the lake has hit fish culture and fishermen hard, the locals said.