Karnataka - Bangalore

Fishermen lose lakhs after fish kill

Bangalore: Thousands of fish have perished in Jakkur and Rachenahalli lakes in north Bangalore over past two days, allegedly after the water was drained out for development of the lakes. Paying the price is a fishing society — the Backward Classes and Minorities Fisherman Cooperative Society — which put its members’ losses at around Rs. 15 lakh.

The sudden draining of water from the lakes by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which will soon start development work here, led to the fish kill, alleged C.S. Lingaraju, Assistant Director (North), Department of Fisheries, which hands out five-year contracts. The development work includes inter alia laying a walking path and a children’s park. “BDA could have given us a month more to harvest the fish before draining the water,” said society secretary Jokim. “We have lost Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh worth of fish in each tank.” The society had been rearing fish in the two lakes as per the contract awarded to it a year ago. The lakes were handed over to BDA a few months ago from the Minor Irrigation Department and the former awarded the development contract to a private contractor, permitting him to empty the lakes.

Meanwhile, both Fisheries and the BDA are in a blame game over the fish kill. Citing pollution, a BDA official said: “The lakes are receiving polluted water from the BWSSB treatment plant, and there is a lot of sediment with heavy metals.” The official added that BDA had told the Fisheries Department not to give fishing rights during the project period.

Mr. Lingaraju, however, said the BDA had assured the Fisheries Department it would not empty the lakes this year.

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