Ponda: Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) collected water samples from Kapileshwari temple lake on Monday evening after freshwater fish were found floating dead on Saturday.GSPCB junior engineer Aryada Deshpande and field assistant Roma Khandekar collected the samples in the presence of Kavlem panchayat staff and Shree Kapileshwar temple authorities. Officials said they were not competent to comment on the cause, but the water was unfit for swimming.Photographs and videos circulated on social media blamed firecrackers for the fish deaths, with people speculating that explosions over the lake had caused them. Some villagers claimed stagnant water had deprived aquatic species of oxygen.Kavlem panchayat had asked the board to test the water and determine the cause of the deaths.Temple president Gopakrishna Dhavalikar said he could not comment until the board submitted its report. Kavlem Biodiversity Management Committee president Santosh Tari urged govt to issue guidelines on colours used to paint deity idols immersed in water bodies.
