The second largest government aquarium of India suffers bad maintenance.
The last couple of years have seen a decrease in the number of fishes displayed at the Bangalore Government Aquarium. The aquarium has 83 tanks, but only hosts 33 species of fishes. Due to lack of funds, it has not been renovated for a long time.
Dr. Vikas S J, Assistant Director of the aquarium said, “The aquarium was last renovated in 2002. We have asked the government for more funds to renovate the place. We are mostly focusing on the tanks, rather than the structure”.
The aquarium loses its visitors “We have lost a number of visitors. We have hardly 20- 30 visitors every day. The peak season is mostly in April when school children come to visit”.
The last couple of years have seen the death of many fishes like the Black Moor Gold Fish, Red Parrot Fish, Tiger Shark, Orange molly fish. Unfavorable temperature conditions in the tank have been a reason for such deaths said Vikas.
The broken ceiling and cracked walls have been a cause for concern to many visitors.
Shreyasi Kar, a visitor said, “The tanks are too small for some of the fishes. There is a need for maintenance as the ceiling has been peeling off and also, the lighting needs to be improved as the kids keep running around and they may hurt themselves”.
Experts say the aquarium can be well maintained only if it is curated keeping the ecosystem of fishes in mind.
Gagan Saiprasad, aquarium expert from Still Water Aquatics said, “The display should be conceptualized keeping in mind the educational point in mind, to make it informative and interesting for the visitors. They need more staff who are educated in the subject and can take care of the fishes. Structural wise, it should be suitable for the species”.
It seems like, for Bangaloreans to experience a glimpse of aquatic life, they have to wait until the officials bring up a new plan after this year’s budget.
