Delhi’s artificial Sanjay Lake recently turned into a graveyard. Hundreds of small Gambusia or mosquitofish, along with larger tilapia- or carp-like freshwater species floated to the surface of the stagnant water, making the overall scene resemble straight out of a horror movie.
Sanjay Lake is located in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri and spreads across nearly 187 acres. It is maintained by the Delhi Development Authority and is also a notified protected forest under the Delhi forest department, according to an Indian Express report.
Environmentalists told the newspaper that the ghastly scenes at Sanjay Lake could be a result of a combination of factors: high temperatures due to the ongoing searing heatwave in the city; the high chemical load in the water body and the lack of replenishment of the lake’s water, which could have helped flush out toxins.