Sewage in Sankey tank: 200 fish die

Sewage in Sankey tank: 200 fish die
DH News Service, Bangalore:
The flora and fauna of Sankey Tank have been deteriorating rapidly in the last three months due to sewage flooding the tank from surrounding areas. It is estimated that 200 fish have died there and the influx of migrating birds had reduced considerably.

The members of the Sankey Park Walkers Association are demanding that the tank be saved from the sewage. Briefing the media, association’s N Narasimhan pinpointed three reasons for the pollution - the leaking of a nearby sewage pipeline that flowed into a Storm Water Drain (SWD) connected to the tank, the alleged dumping of waste from the canteen of the nearby H K S College into another SWD leading to the tank and the mushrooming of algae all over. “There is a need to stop the sewage water urgently if the fish have to be saved,” appealed Vinod, another member. Secretary Vijaya Kumar said that the algae reduced the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in water resulting in the death of the fish.

“Kingfishers and cormorants used to come in large numbers earlier but are fewer in numbers for the last two months. This is because they are not able to spot the fish in water that have reduced due to the reduced BOD” said another member.

President of the Association, Anand said that repeated appeals to the concerned government agencies, the BBMP, BWSSB and the Lake Development Authority have been in vain.

Association members lauded MLA Ashwath Narayan for taking efforts to improve the tank. “However, he has only partially fulfiled three out of the 21 demands he had promised to fulfil by November 1,” they added.

A ducking question
The recent death of ducks at Sankey Tank has stirred a hornet’s nest. The exact number of dead ducks is not clear - it ranges between two and ten, according to different versions.

While members of the Sankey Tank Walkers Association cite the inflow of sewage water from surrounding areas as the reason for their death, a wildlife expert strongly asserts that the ducks died due to malnutrition.
B R Vijayakumar, association secretary said ten out of 20 ducks have died. “Two others are very ill, and it is the sewage that is responsible for the deaths.” Sharat Babu, Environmental adviser, BBMP, said that the news about the death of the ducks had not reached him yet.

Dr Nallappa of the Central Poultry Development Organisation ruled out any kind of malnutrition.