That the NMC’s campaign to keep water sources clean and pollution has misfired could be proved by thousands and thousands of dead fishes in Gandhisagar Lake (Shukrawar Talao) following dumping of toxic material and garbage in massive proportions. The toxic stuff and garbage left the fishes gasping for oxygen and ultimately died but not before blaming the poisonous actions of mankind. The dead fishes and tons of other garbage are triggering a stale environment. Now, the poisonous environment is posing the hazard to human being by spreading viruses including some deadly ones.
Photo by Vicky Thorat
Nagpur News: It did not take any NGO to act and expose the NMC. It did not take an alert citizen to expose the NMC. It did not take an RTI activist to expose the NMC. The dead fishes exposed the NMC and revealed that the NMC’s much hyped and publicity stunt missions were only for the very purpose and nothing else.
That the NMC’s campaign to keep water sources clean and pollution has misfired could be proved by thousands and thousands of dead fishes in Gandhisagar Lake (Shukrawar Talao) following dumping of toxic material and garbage in massive proportions. The toxic stuff and garbage left the fishes gasping for oxygen and ultimately died but not before blaming the poisonous actions of mankind.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), in a good initiative, had appealed the immersion of Lord Ganesh idols in the artificially prepared plastic tanks placed at every major square and other vantage points. The exercise on the part of the NMC was to save the water sources in Nagpur like Gandhisagar Lake, Futala Lake, Ambajhari Lake, Gorewada Lake, rivers from toxic pollution. And also avoid any untoward incidents like drowning in the lakes during immersion by deploying lifeguards at the lakes. (Still two persons lost their lives by drowning in Futala and Naik Talao tells a contradictory tale). However, the NMC cannot blamed for every bad thing is also very much true.
The NMC this year totally neglected Gandhisagar Lake taking the maximum brunt of immersion of Plaster of Paris (POP) in thousands and subsequent dumping of “Nirmallya” (Worship garlands and flowers) in tons. The dirty picture at Gandhisagar Lake could be watched with thousands of broken idols floating and “Nirmallya” in tons spread over a large portion of the Lake apart from other filthy garbage that gets dumped regularly.The Gandhisagar Lake, to sum up in simple words, has turned into a garbage dump with toxic stuff thus starving the fishes of oxygen.
The dead fishes and tons of other garbage are triggering a stale environment. Now, the poisonous environment is posing the hazard to human being by spreading viruses including some deadly ones. Every bad thing has become active but the NMC. The NMC first committed a grave mistake by allowing the immersion of POP idols and tons of garbage. Now, the second mistake. No cleaning at all from the first day itself of the toxic stuff resulting in fishes dying in the thousands and, the subsequent poisoning of the environment thus putting the citizens in hazardous situations.
It is true that the NMC and the NGOs made preparations for collecting “Nirmallya.” However, the quantity they collected proved miniscule compared to dumping of “Nirmallya” and other waste material in Gandhisagar Lake in the proportions of tons. No one but thousands of dead fishes are exposing the NMC and other NGOs, police, home guards in a deadly evidence. The live fishes are the grace of any water source and also the livelihood of dozens of fishermen. However, the criminal negligence on the part of the NMC and the so-called NGOs, who were present at the Gadhisagar Lake, left the fishes dead as a result of toxic immersion of POP idols and tons of garbage.
Now, at least, the NMC should initiate corrective steps and clean the Gandhisagar Lake on warfooting and as a first step, test the water of the Gandhisagar Lake for breeding various fishes. And ensure that this year is not repeated the next year.
… Ravikant Kamble
