Thousands of fish found dead in Thane’s Siddheshwar Lake; residents slam civic neglect

Manoj Badgeri / TNN / Apr 25, 2025, 14:31 IST

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Thousands of dead fish were discovered in Thane's Siddheshwar Lake, sparking outrage among residents who blame municipal apathy. Sewage discharge fueled weed growth, depleting oxygen levels and killing the fish. Despite repeated warnings about weed proliferation, authorities allegedly failed to act effectively. The corporation has initiated cleanup efforts, promising to divert sewage lines and address the issue.

Thousands of fish found dead in Thane’s Siddheshwar Lake; residents slam civic neglect

Thousands of fish were discovered dead in Thane's Siddheshwar Lake due to sewage discharge, leading to excessive weed growth and oxygen depletion.

THANE: Thousands of fish were found lying dead in Siddheshwar Lake by local residents on Thursday morning. They alleged apparent apathy of the municipal administration towards maintaining the water body. The lake, one of Thane's prominent water bodies, has long been a concern for residents.
Municipal authorities conducted a preliminary investigation, revealing that sewage discharge caused the growth of water weeds, including hyacinths.
These weeds deplete oxygen levels in the water, likely leading to the fish deaths, officials pointed out.
Former BJP Corporator Narayan Pawar highlighted the issue before Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao on Thursday, claiming that repeated attempts to bring attention to the problem were ignored. “Despite alerting authorities about weed growth, no action was taken.

A contractor was hired for cleaning, but it proved ineffective. Who is responsible for this neglect and the death of these fish?” he questioned.
Interestingly, the 2023-24 environment survey released recently by the corporation pointed out the low oxygen levels in the lake, leading activists to question this neglect by the civic administration that takes pride in calling Thane a city of lakes and spends crores of taxpayers' money on beautification works.
Residents reported witnessing dead fish floating for days, and a foul odour lingered around the lake.
"We had to cover our noses while accessing the area since the last few days, and even strays were spotted in the area attracted by the dead fish," said one resident.
Manisha Pradhan, Chief Environment Officer at the Thane corporation, confirmed that sewage discharge contributed to the weed growth and said they started removing the dead fish and weeds. “We have started removing the weeds and the dead fish from the lake today. As an immediate measure, we will plug all sewage lines opening into the lake and route them to drainage lines, which will be constructed around the periphery,” she said

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