55 Asiatic softshell turtles found dead in Solapur lake
Asiatic softshell turtles
were found dead in the lake at Siddheshwar temple in Solapur, alarming environmentalists and wildlife authorities. The incident comes just 10 days after hundreds of fish were found dead in the lake on April 27.The forest department recovered all 55 dead turtles, protected under Schedule 1 of the
Wildlife Protection
Act (1972), after a six-hour operation and conducted post-mortem examinations to determine the cause of death. The
Maharashtra Pollution Control Board
collected water samples for forensic testing.Bharat Chheda, honorary wildlife conservator for Solapur, emphasized the need for a thorough investigation.
"It should be investigated if there is sewage mixing in the lake. The water may have been contaminated with harmful chemicals, or the turtles in the pond may have been infected with a disease. It cannot be said that the death of turtles is because of a lack of oxygen in the water," he said.Range forest officer Rohit Kumar Gangarde provided further details on the sequence of events: "Ten days ago, fish died in the lake, and now an incident of 55 Asiatic softshell turtles floating dead has come to light.
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A post-mortem was conducted on them at Siddheshwar Van Vihar. The cause of death of these turtles will be determined only after the post-mortem report arrives." An MPCB official had suggested that the algae growth in the lake might have led to depleted oxygen levels, contributing to the fish deaths. "Instructions have been given to the Solapur Municipal Corporation and the Devasthan authority for cleaning the lake," the official said. Environmentalists have long warned of pollution issues in Siddheshwar lake. Mukesh Raut, a well-known environmentalist from Solapur, said, "The water in this lake is highly polluted. It's not that fish have been found dead here for the first time. What action has been taken by MPCB, Solapur Municipal Corporation, and Sri Siddheshwar Devasthan Authority to prevent pollution?"
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