Wildlife Management (WM) authorities of Eluru have intensified their efforts to achieve the twin objective of removing dead fish and catching the live ones from Kolleru Lake in the bird sanctuary.
At least four tonne of fish has perished in the last two weeks as the 300-acre pond within the sanctuary has dried up as there is no inflow of water.
The authorities have deployed at least 40 workers to remove the dead fish and bury them on the banks of the pond within the lake limits.
However, people residing in the vicinity, in their desire to salvage live fish, are impeding the efforts of the authorities to save the water body, the winter home for migratory birds, from getting polluted.
As part of its efforts to salvage live fish, the Wildlife Management, a conservation authority of the lake, on Monday permitted members of local self-help groups (SHG) and village-level environment development councils to catch the live fish from the pond.
“Members of 96 SHGs in and around the sanctuary will be allowed to catch fish as per the existing guidelines of the Apex court to conserve the Kolleru Lake,” Eluru WM Ranger L. Dhana Raju told The Hindu .
“Nearly, four tonne of fish perished in the recent past. We have no alternative ways of preventing the death of fish, expect catching them alive,” he said. Half of the total amount to be realised from the sale of the fish would be released to eligible panchayats and the remaining for the listed SHGs, he added.
The migratory birds are likely to return to their homeland by mid May. And what is worrying is that the existing conditions at the sanctuary may force the birds to search for food elsewhere.
Nearly four tonne of fish perished as the pond in the bird sanctuary dried up
L. Dhana Raju
Eluru WM Ranger
