Water from the lake has been sent for examination (Representative Image) | Photo Credit: BCCL

Bengaluru: For the second time in less than three months, water bodies in Bengaluru can be seen bearing the brunt of the city's growing population. Locals residing near the Seegehalli lake woke up on Saturday morning to the sight of thousands of dead fishes floating on the banks of the lake. A similar instance was reported at the city's Madiwala lake earlier this year.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Balaji Ragotham who is one of the lake's guardians said that water samples have been sent to a laboratory in order to determine what might have led to the deaths of the fishes. "I was taken by surprise as we make all efforts to keep our lake and surroundings clean", he added.

When asked, residents who developed and maintain the Seegehalli lake said that inflow of underground drainage (UGD) into the water body may have led to the decimation of marine life. They also claim that the lake's design is flawed since the inlet pipe is directly connected to the stormwater drain. Therefore, the SWD overflows and silt gets deposited every time it rains even a little.

Bengaluru: Thousands of dead fish washed ashore on Ulsoor Lake due to rising water pollution levels pic.twitter.com/XEjNLFIP9k — ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2016

In October of this year, a similar incident was reported from the Madiwala lake where dead fish and snails were found floating on the surface in thousands. Citizens claim that these instances are the result of pollution of the city's water bodies by residents in addition to the discharge of effluents into them. Bengaluru in Karnataka is also home to Bellandur and Varthur lakes which have frothed and caught fire multiple times since 2016 owing to the high density of pollutants in them.

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