DUBAI: A lake which turned into a fish graveyard fortnight ago has now returned to life.
Last week, XPRESS reported how hundreds of thousands of fish had mysteriously washed up dead in a lake in Jumeirah Islands sparking concern among residents of the upscale neighbourhood in Dubai.
But now the lake has been cleaned and restored with fresh water by developer Nakheel. "The lakes were cleaned as a priority of any dead fish in less than 24 hours. There is an appointed service provider to monitor and maintain the lakes’ water quality at Jumeirah Islands," said a Nakheel spokesperson.
“I am relieved that all the dead fish have been removed and the lake is back to its pristine state,” said a resident of Cluster 42. “Barely a few days ago, the entire lake was filled with dead fish. The sight was horrifying and the stench unbearable but now everything is fine. It looks like nothing happened here,” he added.
“I thank Nakheel for their prompt action,” said another resident.
Meanwhile a feeder lake near Cluster 42 has been drained as part of a massive clean-up exercise.
Dr. Reza Khan, Principal Wildlife Specialist at Dubai Municipality, reckons the fish died due to low oxygen levels in the water caused by overpopulation of fish and algae.
Natural pheonomenon
He said the deaths were caused by a natural phenomenon called ‘fish kill’ where an entire population perishes due to lack of sufficient oxygen in the water. This usually happens when there is an over-population of fish or if there is an algae bloom inside the lake.
