Bengaluru: Pollution chokes turtle, residents rescue it

Improper maintenance and unscientific dumping of garbage in the tank has led to severe contamination posing a threat to all aquatic life at Sankey Tank

Entangled in a cloth, struggling to get out of water, a turtle in Bengaluru's Sankey Tank couldn't have asked for a worse Christmas. Thanks to the efforts of residents who noticed the poor creature's plight, it was rescued, set free from its cloth bonds and released back into the water. While the animal survived, creatures in the waters suffer everyday due to the rising pollution levels.

"We had gathered at Sankey tank on Sunday morning to discuss how a eco friendly new year should be celebrated. We noticed a turtle entangled in a red cloth struggling to reach the tank bund. We brought it out of the water, cut open the cloth and released it back to the tank," said H R Jayaram, a lawyer-turned-organic farmer who rescued the turtle.

The struggling turtle was found inside the smaller tank meant for immersion of Ganesha idols. Improper maintenance and unscientific dumping of garbage in the tank has led to severe contamination. The residents also allege that the BBMP hasn't taken up regular cleanliness drives to ensure rejuvenation.

"We humans have absolutely no sense of how things we casually discard have a lasting effect on nature. We contaminate the water, thrown garbage into it and abuse the animals that live in the water and the lake itself." Jayaram added.

OneIndia News