Pollution killed thousands of fish in Periyar River

By Shankar Raj*

Thiruvananthapuram: Pollution by a few industries along the Periyar River in Kochi killed thousands of fish yesterday, resulting in a huge loss running to crores for young entrepreneurs who had taken up cage fish farming for a livelihood.

Angered by the lack of preventive action by the Pollution Control Board (PCB), the farmers dumped the dead fish inside and in front of the Board’s office in Kochi demanding compensation from the government.

Though fish dying due to pollution is not new, because of the pollutants released by industries along the banks of the river, the magnitude of the fish killed this time was huge.

Sources said the chemical leather bone meal factories located in the upper reaches of the river were responsible for the incident. Pollutants and deadly waste are being pumped into the river through many illegal pipe outlets. The PCB has not taken any steps to shut down these pipe outlets or set up sewage treatment plants.

Most of the affected farmers are those who had taken up cage fish farming following the subsidy that the state government had promised to promote captive fish farming.

The farmers have blamed the authorities for their failure to take measures to prevent the pollution of a river which is also the major source of drinking water for the city of Kochi.

There are more than 150 farmers engaged in cage fish farming along the Periyar.

The PCB blamed the industries for polluting the river but was clueless about which factory caused the killing of the fish. The factories include those manufacturing pesticides and weedicides.

“We have flow meters in the industries and we are trying to identify the source,” said a PCB official.

The government has formed a committee to look into the pollution and suggest suitable action. The district collector ordered the PCB to conduct an emergency inquiry into the fish kills in the Periyar and initiate action quickly.

*Shankar Raj is a former editor of The New Indian Express, Karnataka and Kerala, and writes regularly on current affairs.