Hundreds of dead fish were found in Mumbai’s historic Banganga tank over the weekend, putting renewed focus on water pollution, aquatic life and the management of religious rituals at the heritage site. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has collected water samples and sent them to a laboratory for testing, while municipal workers are removing the dead fish from the tank.
Local residents have alleged that large-scale pind daan rituals conducted during Pitru Paksha contributed to the incident. Environmental activists have claimed that a layer of oily substances formed on the water, reducing the oxygen available to the fish. The cause of the deaths has not yet been established by laboratory testing.
According to officials cited in the report, water samples have been sent for quality analysis following the discovery. The municipal administration is also carrying out the removal of dead fish from the water body. The test results are expected to provide information about the condition of the water and the factors that may have affected aquatic life.
Banganga tank is located at the western edge of the Malabar Hill area in South Mumbai, beyond Girgaum Chowpatty. The tank is a freshwater water body surrounded by the sea, and its setting and historic character have made it an important heritage site. Residents and visitors reach it by climbing towards the western end of the Malabar Hill slope.
The tank receives large numbers of visitors during Pitru Paksha each year for pind daan rituals. This year, the rituals again took place at the site before dead fish were found on Saturday and Sunday. Residents have alleged that flour balls, oil, ghee, coloured powder, flowers and other materials used during the rituals may have reduced water quality.
The incident has also revived concerns about recurring damage and neglect at the site. The tank’s steps, stonework and lamp posts have deteriorated over the years, and the Maharashtra government has directed the BMC to undertake a Banganga tank rejuvenation project. The latest fish deaths have raised questions about whether heritage restoration is being matched by routine environmental management and controls on activities taking place in the water body.
The report notes that dead fish had been found in the tank on earlier occasions as well. Local criticism has focused on the absence of effective preventive measures after those incidents. While the allegations regarding ritual materials remain subject to confirmation, the latest event has again brought the tank’s water quality and the survival of its aquatic life into public focus.
The immediate municipal steps are the removal of dead fish and laboratory testing of water samples. The BMC’s findings will determine whether the incident is linked to pollutants, reduced oxygen levels or another factor, and will establish the basis for further action at the historic tank.