MCGM ignores croc carcass in city’s lake

Thursday, July 01, 2010

MCGM and SGNP plays ping-pong over the carcass of a crocodile who was found floating in Powai Lake The increasing pollution in Powai Lake has reached a point that it is endangering the aquatic life of the lake, according to experts. The comments come after a carcass of a crocodile was found floating in the lake near Ganesh Garden since four days. On Wednesday local residents and visitors to the lake complained of the stench emanating from the rotting carcass to the hydraulic department of the Municipal Corporation for Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the forest department of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). “More than four days the authorities denied taking responsibility by tossing the complaint into each others court. The MCGM said SGNP is responsible, while SGNP blamed the civic officials to clear the mess,” said Sunish Subramanian, senior member with Plants and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). After tireless efforts taking by the volunteers of PAWS and local residents, chief forest officer from SGNP ordered the carcass to be removed. “The team of doctors will remove the carcass and perform a on-site autopsy to determine the cause of death,” added Shree Bhagwan, the chief conservator of SGNP. The incident of the carcass of the top predator from the lake floating isn’t the first of its kind. Previously a 13-feet long carcass of a male crocodile has washed ashore near the isolated north banks of the lake. “The lake has depleted levels of oxygen and no fishes. As fishes remain the primary prey of the crocs, scarcity of them results in hunger and heavy pollutants dissolved in lake poisons the crocs,” explained Gordon Rodricks, General Secretary of the Maharashtra State Angling Association (MSAA). The MSAA has now planned to revive the eco-system of the lake by various plans including introduction of 10,000 spawn of new fishes and installing aerators of fresh oxygen. Efforts from MSAA are the proactive steps to protect the endangered population of the Indian Marsh Crocodile. “The Indian crocs are a Schedule 1 (read Grade 1) reptiles under the Wildlife Act. The crocs are on par with the tigers and were once hunted to extinction for its hide and meat,” explained Rodricks. Website link : http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/158/201007012010070118533986424b0d49f/MCGM-ignores-croc-carcass-in-city%E2%80%99s-lake.html