Around 1.5 tonnes dead fish found floating in Dhanmondi Lake
No reasons behind the fish dying could be identified immediately
The Dhaka South City Corporation has removed around 1.5 tonnes of dead fish from Dhanmondi Lake today (23 August).
Earlier in the afternoon, locals found thousands of dead fish floating in the lake.
According to authorities, no specific reasons behind the fish dying could be identified immediately. The number of dead fish, however, may increase further tomorrow.
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"The Waste Management Department of the corporation, along with officials from zone-1 and the Fisheries Department, visited the site 0upon receiving reports of the thousands of dead fish discovered floating in Dhanmondi Lake," Md Abu Nasher, public relations officer of the corporation told The Business Standard.
"Samples of water and dead fish have been collected for analysis to determine the cause of the death."
He further said, "The corporation administrator also visited the site and instructed officials to remove the dead fish and conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official from Dhaka South, said, "The fish might have been poisoned by someone with a vested interest, possibly a previous leaseholder of the lake who wanted to sabotage the current leaseholder's business.
"Another potential cause could be dumping illegal chemicals into the lake. Amid ongoing crackdowns in different areas of the country, those with such substances might have done it," the official added.
A resident, Maahi Ahmed, who often jogs around the lake, told TBS that he noticed a strong, unpleasant smell coming from the lake. Later, he saw thousands of dead fish floating on the surface, with some accumulating near the shore.
"I contacted several of my acquaintances in Dhanmondi and shared photos of the situation. They promptly alerted the city corporation. When I returned to the lake after Jummah prayers, I found a team working to remove the dead fish
"However, more dead fish continued to surface even as the cleanup efforts were underway," he added.
