A large number of fishes were found dead in a pond in Veppampalayam village in Pitchandampalayam panchayat in Erode Panchayat Union here on Saturday.
Villagers found fishes floating in small numbers for the past two days. However, on Saturday, large number of fishes were found floating that resulted in bad odour emanating from the water. The pond was desilted by the villagers at ₹ 2 lakh last year. Seepage from the agricultural lands that were irrigated by the Lower Bhavani Project (canal) was the main source of water for the pond.
The pond was filled with water for the past four months after water was released in the canal.
The villagers said that fishes in the lake were auctioned every year and the money obtained was used for the development of the village. With no industries located in the area, only the sewage water from the 400-odd houses in the village continues to enter the pond for many years. They added that their request to construct a drain to divert the sewage from entering the pond fell on deaf ears.
The dead fish were yet to be removed from the pond. The villagers suspect that the reason could be due to lack of oxygen for the fishes or the polluted water. The pond is filled with bushes and other weeds and the villagers wanted them to be removed.
