A large number of fish found dead in Krushnale Lake in Panvel

A large number of fish was found dead in Krushnale Lake under the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) jurisdiction on Wednesday.

The local residents spotted the dead fish floating on water in the afternoon and informed the civic officials about it. The residents suspected the polluted water of the lake to be the cause for this.

Even as the PCMC officials did not reveal the quantity of the dead fish, the residents said it would be around 20kg. Among the dead fish were Jitada (Indian sea bass), Mogra (catfish), Bombil (Bombay duck) and Bangada (Mackerel).

Manish Shirke, a 45-year-old activist from Panvel, said, “Some people from this area throw their household garbage, nirmalya, plastic, thermocol sheets, etc. into the lake. Several vegetable and fruit vendors from the nearby markets are also often spotted throwing their waste there. Due to these actions, the lake water has turned very dirty. However, the PCMC officials have taken no efforts to clean it for the past several years.”

Bhupen Patil, a 53-year-old resident, said, “The lake is at the heart of the city and it would not be easy for anyone to mix chemicals with the water. We suspect the fish died due to the polluted water caused by the garbage. The authorities concerned should take this matter seriously and clean all the dirty lakes in the city.”

A senior PCMC official said, “We will clean that lake and the work will be started within a few days. We have also coordinated with the officials from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to check the pollution levels and they will come and do the needful soon.”