Dead fish float up in lake

Kolkata: Several fishes were found dead floating on the water in the Santragachi Jheel (water body) in Howrah on Monday morning.

The dead fishes were spotted by some people who had come beside the water body for a morning walk.

Santragachi Jheel, which is a haven for migratory birds during the winters, covers an area of 32 acres.

" I saw that the water of the jheel was rising up . Initially I thought that it was an earthquake but when I went closer to the water I was surprised to find several dead fishes floating on the water and a bad smell was emanating from the lake," Bijoy Sarkar, a local resident said.

Within a few minutes the place was crowded with people who got busy in picking up the fishes from the water body and they took it to their houses.

"The water body has been in utter neglect for quite sometime and hyacinth has filled it up. It seems that water pollution has led to the death of the fishes," an environmentalist residing in the area said.

The environmentalists feared that if the fishes died due to poisoning then consumption of these fishes may cause serious health hazards .

Bijin Krishna, Commissioner of Howrah Municipal Corporation, said that an enquiry will be held to probe the cause of death of fishes.

"The state Fisheries department has also been informed," he added.

It may be mentioned that birds from North America, Australia come during the winter.

Hundreds of people from Kolkata and its neighbourhood visit the water body during the winter.

Photographers and ornithologists from all over the country come to the area during winter to have a glimpse of the rare birds. In the past few years, the place has become a tourist destination during the winter.

The National Green Tribunal has declared the area as "silence zone" which is close to Santragachi railway station.