Toxic death

indiscriminate use of pesticides resulted in the death of fish in a lake behind Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. This was revealed during a pesticide residue analysis conducted by the pollution monitoring laboratory of the Centre for Science and Environment (cse). The analysis revealed the presence of multiple residues of pesticides in water and fish samples taken from four different locations of the lake. The residues of three organochlorines and two organophosphorous pesticides were found to be much higher than the maximum limits prescribed for water by the us Environment Protection Agency.

Even the Central Pollution Control Board's chairperson, Dilip Biswas, says that lack of oxygen appears to be the apparent cause for the fish deaths. "Mosquito repellents contain harmful chemicals. Especially if the pesticide is of an oily nature it can form a film over the water surface, cutting out oxygen supply," he remarked.

But Delhi's health minister, A K Walia, has some other claims to make. "Preliminary tests conducted by the Delhi pollution control committee reveal that the hydrogen and dissolved oxygen level of the water in the lake was within acceptable limits," he argued. The lake is within the jurisdiction of the stadium authorities and its maintenance is the responsibility of the Delhi government. The stadium, which has a persistent pest problem, is being readied as a venue for the forthcoming Afro Asian Games. Debugging the stadium is the top priority of the organisers and the obvious target is the lake and its adjoining areas.

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