Jamshedpur, June 16: A distressing ecological situation has emerged in Jubilee Park Lake, as a significant number of fish perished on Friday morning. Hundreds of dead fish soon spread along the bank along the lake.
As the news spread, civic amenities provider, Tata Steel UISL team collected the dead fish for mass burial, including morning walkers, and watched helpless fish battling for survival.“It is really surprising that innocent fish are dying. Authorities should do something serious to prevent such incidents,” said a morning walker.
Officially known as Jayanti Sarovar, the lake houses species like mrigal, catfish katla, and rohu. There are two in-lets to the water body – one near the Old Court and the other near Tata zoo. At the Old Court end, industries like Tata Steel and Praxair India Private Limited, a manufacturer of industrial gases, are located.
According to environment experts the decrease of oxygen level due to shallowness of the water body and oily polluting has led to suffocation causing death of the fishes. An expert noted that the shallowness of the lake has increased due to silt deposition. It proves that shallowness of the water is making fish exposed to predators. The turbidity of water in the lake is quite high as it was not transparent due to the influence of domestic and industrial sewage coming to the lake from the inlets.
The alarming fish mortality in Jubilee Park Lake has sparked concerns among local authorities and environmentalists alike. The lake, once teeming with aquatic life, now bears witness to a tragic decline as fish struggle for survival in oxygen-deprived waters.
According to experts, the deteriorating water quality in Jubilee Park Lake is a result of increased pollution levels. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and untreated sewage have contaminated the water, disrupting the delicate ecological balance. As pollution accumulates, it consumes the available oxygen, making it increasingly difficult for fish to breathe and survive.
A renowned environmental scientist, emphasized the detrimental impact of rising pollution on aquatic ecosystems. “The excessive presence of pollutants in Jubilee Park Lake has caused a severe depletion of dissolved oxygen levels,” he stated. “Fish, being highly sensitive to oxygen levels, are unable to adapt to such low concentrations and consequently suffocate to death.” He further said fish can’t breathe if oxygen in water gets less than 4PPM (parts per million) and also indicated about the shallowness of the lake by citing that even egrets could be seen hunting for fish walking on the surface of water.
The fish deaths in Jubilee Park Lake serve as a distressing reminder of the urgent need to address pollution and protect our natural resources. Environmental experts and local authorities emphasize the importance of collaborative efforts to prevent further ecological damage and safeguard the lake’s biodiversity.
Very unfortunate. They do not have any community or religion to please their case by PIL.
The excessive presence of pollutants in Jubilee Park Lake has caused a severe depletion of dissolved oxygen levels
Industries are held responsible. State environment body is blind.