The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun removing dead fish from the Banganga Tank in Walkeshwar, along with seven truckloads of floral waste and other religious offerings. To mitigate any more fish deaths, the civic body is seeking to replenish oxygen levels in the tank water and has set up dewatering pumps to clean the water.
The BMC is using dewatering pumps to filter the water
The issue came to light after images of dead fish floating in the tank water surfaced on Tuesday, in the aftermath of the rituals that take place at the Banganga Tank annually as part of Pitru Paksha. Prayers are performed as part of religious rituals on Sarva Pitri Amavasya, which marks the end of the 15-day period of Pitru Paksha. This year, it was marked on September 21. Citizens have claimed that the fish at Banganga Tank have died due to the food offered into the water during the rituals.
Dead fish collected from the Banganga Tank
Local residents have claimed that even though the problem persists each year, there is no clear policy from the BMC to streamline the rituals and protect aquatic life and quality of the water. Sneha Visaria, an animal rights activist, said, “The BMC needs to come up with a clear policy to enable successful completion of these rituals in a way does not harm aquatic life. Similar to the time of Ganesh visarjan, separate artificial tanks can be created for the ritual offerings, and the water and ‘nirmalya’ can be disposed of scientifically later. Or a separate area can be demarcated, which is separate from the tank, where prayers can take place.”
Visaria also suggested that a netted fence could be built around the tank to prevent anyone from throwing anything into the water. Another resident of the Banganga area, who did not wish to be named, said, “It is a good idea to regulate the items that are immersed in the tank as part of Pitru Paksha. We must, with time, consider that these ghats may not be usable for the same purposes as they were used in old times — for rituals honouring ancestors.”
