Scores of fish found dead in Sukhna Lake; officials say people released fishes on Puranmashi in lake

Sources said, “Though the corpses of fishes were being reported in the lake water yesterday also, the numbers increased on Monday forcing the visitors at Sukhna Lake to raise an alarm. The native fishes at Sukhna lake are thail (Catlacatla), rohu (labeorohita) etc but the fishes found dead in the lake today were appeared to be of other species. Apparently, these were brought from somewhere and released here.”

The dead fish were discovered between the Suicide Point and the Regulatory Ends of Sukhna lake. Teams from the UT Animal Husbandry and Fishery department, and the UT Wildlife department visited the spot and started a probe into the matter.

Dr Kanwarjit Singh, the director of the Animal Husbandry and Fishery Department, said, “Our preliminary investigation and past experience suggests that people in religious beliefs released the fishes in the lake on last Friday and Saturday. We observed these fishes were produced in the fish farms and confined atmosphere. Such fishes can not survive in open water like Sukhna Lake as the temperature of water in the night falls. Earlier, we had caught unknown persons releasing fishes in the lake in CCTV cameras last year on the day of Puranmashi.”

A local said, “One or two dead fish were spotted floating in Sukhna Lake yesterday (Sunday), but today (Monday) the number of dead fish is alarming… Last year, dead tortoises were also discovered in Sukhna Lake.” UT Chief Wildlife Warden TC Nautiyal said, “We are looking into the matter.”

Meanwhile, a local priest Rohit Sharma says, “The advice of releasing the fishes in the open water is for those who believe that their Rahu-Ketu (North-Lunar code and South-Lunar code) are not moving in the correct direction. It is being stressed that fishes should be procured from confined water and to be freed in open water.” On Puranmashi, the moon came full in the sky.

Another officer said, “Fish mortality increases during rains when water levels rise, and oxygen levels decrease due to the heavy presence of mud in the water. However, these days there is no heavy rain. The water level in the lake is normal.”