Mysuru: The death of fish at Kukkarahalli Lake is indeed a cause for concern. Waste water from cow sheds and houses of Paduvarahalli flowing through open drains collect at shallow places at the junction of Hunsur Road and north bund of the Lake.

This polluted water is entering the Lake through drains located at north bund. This is killing fish by reducing the oxygen level in the Lake water, said Prof. K.M. Jayaramaiah, Non-official Member, Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority.

Lack of co-ordination between the University of Mysore (UoM) and Karnataka Fish Marketing Federation has resulted in stoppage of fishing in the Lake. It is possible that volume of water is not sufficient for the increased fish numbers.

Last year, there was an attempt to clean this area and to increase the holding capacity of the Lake, de-silting work was initiated, he said.

In a letter addressed to the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner, Prof. Jayaramaiah has urged the DC to grant permission to the University of Mysore to call for e-tender for fishing in the Lake.

“The University of Mysore Engineer has informed me that Model Code of Conduct has come in the way of calling e-tenders. Hence, this should be treated as a special case and UoM should be permitted to call for e-tenders,” he has stated.

He has alleged that attempt to clean the Lake area was stalled by environmentalist U.N. Ravikumar and his team.

“I had planned to clean this area and create 2-3 islands and force the polluted water to flow around these islands.

The water would then pass through dense grass and thick bushes before entering the Lake. It is unfortunate that some environmentalists stalled these works last year. Lecturing on Environment is one thing and protecting it is another,” he has charged.