Bengaluru: Dead fish, snails surface in Madiwala Lake

Bengaluru: On the morning of October 4 the residents on their way for a morning walk witnessed that thousands of dead fish and snails have accumulated at the periphery of the Madiwala Lake.

Though residents have time and again raised concern about the pollution in the water body, citing deaths of fish and snails, the forest department said it was a natural phenomenon.

Mahesh H., a frequent visitor of the lake and a resident of BTM for the past eight years said, "Despite the lake's rejuvenation, pollution 

remains a concern. As far as I know, the sewerage enters the lake from the nearby Storm Water Drain."

Spread over more than 150 acres, Madiwala Lake is one of the largest and oldest in the city.

"We were shocked to see early in the morning. Most of us believe that this could be due to the rising pollution of the water body. The scale of death reminded me of Ulsoor," said Harish, another resident of BTM.

The forest department officials opined that during rain freshwater mollusks gather for reproduction. "The sewage has entered the lake, but as of now we cannot reach any conclusion. When rainwater enters the lake some survive and some do not. This is a natural phenomenon."

Earlier there have been reports of dwindling number of migratory birds around the lake.

Recently, Kalkere Lake near Horimavu was in the news for the fish death. Over 1000 fish reportedly died and the residents alleged that it could be the result of sewerage entering the lake.