Citizens living around Pipliyapala pond woke up to the sight of hundreds of floating dead fish on Monday morning. Nearly a thousand fish were killed on Monday morning at the water body located at the city’s outskirts. Locals of the area claimed the fish either died due to some contamination or lack of oxygen in the water but officials blamed the heat. “Fish are sensitive and high temperature make it difficult for them to survive as the level of dissolved oxygen goes down,” said Balram Verma, in-charge of Indore Municipal Corporation’s water works department. He said the rainfall was low and as a result, the water in the pond could not be recycled, creating an environment in which the fish couldn’t survive. “We have already sent our staff to remove the dead fish from the pond to avoid any contamination,” he said, adding that the surviving fish might be dangerous for consumption. Experts accused the authorities of not taking care of the pond. “Due to improper maintenance, water level in most water bodies in and around the city have receded. Besides, the construction of concrete floors around the bodies also stops rain water from getting in from catchment,” said Bhalu Mondhe, an environmental expert. He said that due to this the level of dissolved oxygen in the water has reduced making it impossible for fish to survive. “The alarming level of pollution in urban water bodies around the city could be another reason for this disaster,” added Mondhe. This is not the first time that fish have died at a water body in city. Earlier, lakhs of fish had died in Bilawali water tank after IMC released water from the body last month. The fish died allegedly after IMC miscalculated the monsoon and drained the water out of the tank by opening three valves.