Hundreds of Fish Die At Mumbai’s Banganga Tank, But This Is Not a New Crisis

Hundreds of fish have died at Mumbai’s historic Banganga Tank during Pitru Paksha, reviving an annual pollution crisis that has persisted for years.

The deaths at the Walkeshwar water body have prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to call a meeting with local priests and residents to discuss ways to prevent further fish deaths.

Fish Deaths Have Happened Before

The latest incident is not an isolated occurrence. Dead fish have been found at Banganga repeatedly after Pitru Paksha rituals in previous years.

In 2025, the BMC removed around 10,000 kg of dead fish, floral waste and other organic material from the tank over three days. The civic administration had then attributed the deaths to increased pollution and depleted dissolved oxygen levels in the water.

The pattern goes back even further. In 2023, hundreds of dead fish were found floating in the tank after Pitru Paksha, with reports noting that similar fish deaths occurred every year following the rituals.

In 2021, thousands of dead fish were reported in the tank. Local residents at the time said fish deaths occurred every year after the final day of Pitru Paksha, when food offerings were immersed in the water.

A similar episode was reported in 2014, when hundreds of fish were found dead after Pitru Paksha. The temple trust's manager had then said that food, flour and flowers immersed during the rituals increased pollution and contributed to the deaths.

Why Are The Fish Dying?

The BMC suspects that the large quantity of food and ritual material entering the tank during Pitru Paksha is increasing the pollution load.

Devotees traditionally offer or immerse items including rice or flour dumplings, sweets, milk, oil and flowers. Civic officials said organic material and food waste can reduce dissolved oxygen in the water, creating conditions in which fish struggle to survive.

BMC officials have specifically pointed to oil and flour-based offerings as major concerns. Oil can form a layer on the water, while the decomposition of organic material further increases the demand for oxygen.

BMC Turns To Priests

The civic body has called priests and residents for a meeting at its D ward office, seeking their cooperation in preventing ritual offerings from entering the water.

The BMC is also increasing cleaning operations and manpower at the tank. An aeration pump has been installed, while officials plan to pump out and refill the tank to improve its oxygen content. Water samples have also been sent for testing.

The civic body has previously placed collection bins and appealed to devotees to dispose of food and floral offerings there instead of immersing them in the tank. Residents, however, have said substantial quantities of ritual material continue to enter the water.

A Recurring Problem With No Lasting Fix

The repeated fish deaths have raised questions over why measures taken after each year's incident have not prevented the next one.

In previous years, the BMC has used pumps and aerators, removed dead fish and waste, and attempted to discourage direct immersion of offerings. Yet the same crisis has returned during Pitru Paksha.

The issue has also exposed a complicated division of responsibility. Banganga is a protected heritage water body comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), while its management and use involve the archaeology authorities and the temple trust. The BMC has maintained that its powers are limited largely to cleaning and desilting the tank.

For residents and environmentalists, the recurring fish deaths point to a larger problem: Banganga's fragile aquatic ecosystem is repeatedly being overwhelmed during a period when the tank sees heavy ritual activity.

The immediate question is no longer simply why hundreds of fish have died this year, but why the same deaths have continued year after year despite the problem being known for more than a decade.