Karkala: Tavarekere, the name itself paints a beautiful image of a lake filled with swaying lotuses. 

But, if one visits the pond, all that they will find is just silt.

Yes, official apathy has marred the lake to the extent that the aquatic life has been smothered to death. A patch of lush green lotus leaves thriving on some bit of water, which is the reminder to the lost glory of the lake.

The water in the lake has hit an all-time low this year, but negligence of the authorities concerned has only added to the problems of the lake.

The lake that spreads over 6.4 acre is under the Fisheries Department and if one goes through the documents of the department, de-silting work was carried out precisely 20 years ago.

But, the department uses the lake for its benefits without sparing second thought on its upkeep.

Every year, 1.5 lac fingerlings are bought from Bhadra and bred here, mainly by private individuals because of which the department earns some income. These are Katla, Rohu and Kende varieties that fetch good income when sold in market as fully grown fish.

The fish grown in the lake can weigh anywhere between 1.5 to 15 kgs and last month, when the water level in the lake was good, the private individuals who bred fish in the lake managed to grow one quintal fish.

The lake also had a typical variety of white water lilly, which is used to worship gods. But, as long as their greed is quenched who cares about the lake.

The local residents say that the wells in the nearby areas too have dried because the lake has not been de-silted for decades.

However, with the hope that someday the fisheries department would open its eyes to the problems of the lake, the locals remain silent.