SASARAM, Aug. 24 -- The 16th century tomb of Sher Shah Suri at Sasaram, a 122-foot-high red sandstone mausoleum built in the middle of an artificial square lake, is repelling tourists due to unbearable stench and has been suffering from erosion. Local environment activist Dadan Pandey said that the structure is in 'danger' due to drainage discharge from residential areas embanking its inlet and outlet canals. The dirty waters and stench are not only damaging it with harmful chemical erosion but disturbing visitors too. The primary cause is severe water contamination due to the non-functional historical drainage system that once brought clean canal water in and drained dirty water out. It has been disrupted for the past few years. The lack of a proper filtration and cleaning mechanism allows stagnant, toxic wastewater to build up. The Patna high court directive issued to the district administration and Archaeological Survey of India in November 2008 to preserve the monument and sanitise the pond regularly has yet to be complied with, Pandey added. A large number of fish were found dead in the pond on Thursday. Contractor and fisherman Dina Chaudhary said that approximately eight to 10 quintals of fish valued around four to five lakh rupees have died in the pond due to the contaminated water. The ASI assistant conservation officer, Amrit Jha, also attributed the unbearable stink, erosion and death of fish to the lack of water filtration. The heavy pollution and foul odour from dead fish severely impact visitors coming to view the mausoleum. Rohtas district magistrate Deepak Kumar Mishra said that after assuming office, he initiated steps for a permanent solution to this problem. The water resources department has prepared a project-and finalised the tender-to install a pump station at Beda Canal, bring in water via a pipeline and discharge the contaminated water through an outlet. "Soon, the water in the mausoleum's pond will become clean, thereby attracting tourists," he added....