Nagpur: With mercury breaking all the past records, we are staring at one of the severe water-starved summer this year. Though administration have issued several guidelines to keep humans safe from the wrath of sun but failed drastically when it comes to protect aqua ecosystem in the Orange city.
In summer, the change in temperature not only adversely affects the environment but also reduce oxygen level in the water owing to fast evaporation. As a result some specific kind of fish dies abundantly during summer. This year, we have seen distressing scenario Ambazari Lake where thousands of ‘Tilapia’ fishes succumbed to blazing heat this summer. Due to shrinkage in water levels fishes which thrives for oxygen left with no option but to swim up to the water surface where temperature remains high which ultimately lead to their death.
Forecasting such severe effects this summer, city environmentalists across the city had already proposed several ways to improve oxygen levels from installing artificial fountains to avert the opening of sewage and drain lines inside the city lakes to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation but, in vain.
Precautions:
Need to avert urban sewage dumped into water bodies
When Nagpur Today took matter to city environmentalist Kaustav Chatterjee, founder, Green Vigil Foundation he said, “Water pollution in the city primarily occurs due to dumping of waste and urban sewage into water bodies. This result in the formation of ‘eichhornia’ in the water which again blocks sunlight and effects dilution process. In summer the circumstance for aqua bodies are different owing to fast evaporation. When there is aeration, say in winter or in rainy season the plant and animal life thrive as oxygen constantly flow though the water.
Need to care about aquatic ecosystem, not beatification
In summer, oxygen crises plays key role to abrupt aquatic ecosystem. Besides causing unnatural deaths of fishes it effects there pregnancy and also disrupt their multiplication. Under such extreme condition we need more plans to protect an entire ecosystem rather than beatification nearby premises leaving the aqua bodies thrive of breathing, added Chatterjee.
By Shubham Nagdeve
