Dead fish seen in the Jurala reservoir
The rural water supply department draws water from the project to supply 308 villages and four municipalities — Gadwal, Ija, Waddepally and Alampur — every day. Irrigation department officials said the discoloration could be due to stagnant river flow, waste from recent Ganesh festivities and discharge from nearby fish ponds mixing with the reservoir water.
Fishermen who regularly enter the reservoir for their livelihood said they had experienced skin problems after coming into contact with the water in recent days. Hyderabad: At a time when concerns are mounting over nil inflows into irrigation projects and reservoirs, the water in Priyadarshini Jurala reservoir turning dark green with a foul odour five days ago has triggered concern among residents, farmers and fishermen in the region. . Following the mysterious discoloration of the Jurala backwaters, officials of the rural water supply and irrigation departments began probing the cause. The change in water colour and suspected contamination also led to the death of fish in the reservoir. Following the change in colour, officials halted water supply and sent samples for testing a couple of days ago. Several residents in and around Gadwal suspect that industrial effluents discharged into the Krishna from upstream areas in Karnataka’s Raichur industrial belt may have contributed to the deterioration in water quality. Allegations that untreated industrial waste is entering the river have raised concern among local communities. They expressed concern that continued pollution could affect fish populations and disrupt fishing activity in the region. Residents have urged authorities to collect more water samples and conduct scientific tests to establish the exact cause of the discoloration.
