Hundreds of fish have died in the historical Sher Shah Suri Lake in Chakeri's Lal Bangla area of the city. Members of a local organization have removed a large number of dead fish in the past few days.

They alleged negligence on the part of authorities concerned for not maintaining the lake, where a large number of fish die every year during summer season. The main cause of the fish mortality is water contamination. Sher Shah Suri Lake is a popular attractions for tourists.

Residents of the area said they have been witnessing dead fish floating in the lake since the past three days.

The officials of Regional Pollution Control Board carried out an inspection of the pond and took water samples for lab tests on Sunday. "Only on getting the results of water samples, we can proceed further," Regional Pollution Control Board official Mohammad Sikandar said.

He said pollution depletes dissolved oxygen in water, suffocating the aquatic organisms. "People should avoid feeding the aquatic creatures as most of the starchy items are not eaten by the fish, which often results in pollution and growth of harmful micro-organism in the water body," an official said.

The municipal authorities carried out sanitation drive in and around the lake and sprinkled chlorine on Monday. Submersible pumps were used to rotate lake water.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/