26 October,2010 07:37 AM IST | | Ketan Ranga
Residents suspect chemicals from nearby factories triggered it
Marine life has been suffering maximum damage in the past three months. And last night, MiD DAY found a number of fish floating dead in the waters of the Ashish lake in RCF colony, Chembur.
Thousands of fish were dead and had collected at the bank of the lake along with the waste.
According to the residents of the area, there are chemical factories in RCF colony that drain out oil in the lake which has led to the damage.
Number of fish were found floating dead in the waters of the Ashish lake in RCF colony, Chembur
The factories take water from the lake with the help of a pump and at times even drain the waste in the lake.
MiD DAY found oil mixed in the water at the bank.
The residents said that fishing does not happen on a regular basis in the lake, as the water is extremely polluted.
According to the sources, the BMC came to know about the incident in the evening and a number of dead fish were taken out of the lake.
But the fish are continuously dying as the lake is covered with oil, hardly any oxygen can reach the marine life in the lake.
A resident requesting anonymity said, "There have been several complaints to the BMC by the residents about the chemicals from the factories found in the area or gutters leading to bad odour that can harm our health.
The chemical used to be disposed in huge dustbins, but after the complaints, a number of times the chemicals are disposed in the lake."
The incident follows the oil spill after the collision of two ships at the Mumbai harbour that resulted in the death of marine life.
