MUMBAI: The BMC will set up 10 artificial ponds around Banganga tank at Walkeshwar and increase the number of oxygenation pumps at the site after a large number of fish were found dead in the water body, civic officials said on Monday.Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha inspected the tank following the fish deaths and reviewed measures being taken to protect the water body, particularly during Pitru Paksha, when thousands of people visit the site for pind daan and other religious rituals.D ward assistant municipal commissioner Santosh Salunkhe and local corporator Sunny Sanap were present during the inspection.Officials were asked to ensure that material used during religious rituals is not dumped into the tank or around its premises. Lodha appealed to citizens to opt for environment-friendly methods of performing pind daan and avoid putting oil, ghee, sweets and other offerings into the water.BMC officials were asked to step up cleaning and waste management during the remaining days of the period, which ends on Saturday, and continue the measures thereafter. Officials said some materials used in rituals can affect aquatic life.The civic administration had undertaken a cleanliness drive at the site as part of the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’.A resident, Sanjay Shirkhe, said, “The authorities were well aware that such a scenario would arise and hence should have taken steps in advance by barricading the tank before the fish deaths took place.”
