Committees constituted under government’s direction to conduct preliminary examination of the massive fish death in a tributary of the Periyar near Pathalam, Kalamassery, on May 21 (Tuesday) will submit report on May 25 (Saturday). Long and short term actions would be taken on the basis of the reports, said industries minister P. Rajeeve here on May 23 (Thursday).
The district administration and the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) have formed committees to study the fish death, suspected to have been triggered by discharge of chemical effluents by factories located along the banks of the river. Initial reports indicated oxygen depletion in the water as the cause of the fish death though people’s representatives, environmental activists and fishermen, who suffered major losses, have not accepted the explanation and called it an attempt to trivialise the issue.
The minister, who represents Kalamassery in the State assembly, told a press conference that the short-term measures considered by the government include compensation for fishermen-entrepreneurs, who had lost around 150 cages deployed for fish farming along various segments of the river. These fishermen are also entrepreneurs and the government would ensure that they are not disappointed, he said.
The companies located along the river close to the Pathalam sluice gate-cum-regulator would install biofilters by the end of July. More than 20 companies had done the work but the biofilters had not been functioning. In the background of Tuesday’s incident, these companies would be asked to set up the biofilters operate them by the end of July, he added.
The irrigation department has also been asked to revive a programme to build a diaphragm wall along the river bank and a walkway to enable inspection of the condition of the river. The proposal had been pending for a while and would be implemented immediately, Mr. Rajeeve said.
In the long term, the government plans to set up a Kerala River Authority to monitor health of the State river systems and to administer resources offered by waterbodies.
A three-member committee comprising representatives of the irrigation department, Eloor Municipality, and State Pollution Control Board (PCB) will be formed to formulate protocol for the opening of sluice gates of the Pathalam regulator. There was an allegation that the PCB was not informed of the opening of the regulator in response to the early monsoon this week.
Mr. Rajeeve said that a committee was constituted by the district administration to study the situation in the river on orders from the government. Similarly, Kufos has constituted a five-member committee, with experts drawn from various disciplines to study the situation. Kufos laboratory would also test fish samples collected from the river immediately after the report of fish death.
The minister spoke to the press after meeting officials from the Department of Fisheries and Irrigation, officials of PCB and others to discuss the situation arising from the deaths of fish. He claimed that reports had indicated the quantity of chemicals in the river segment had considerably been reduced since 1998. Further studies will now reveal the actual situation.
