Thrikkakara municipality seeks PCB investigation into fish kill in canal
The Thrikkakara municipality has written to the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) to investigate the fish kill reported in the Parappachira canal on Sunday.
The nearly one-kilometre-long canal runs adjacent to the Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) and joins Chitrapuzha. The fish kill was observed on intermittent stretches of the canal passing through Thuthiyoor, which is chairperson Radhamani Pillai’s division, raising concerns about potential chemical discharge from companies in CSEZ. She had visited the site on August 4 (Sunday).
The incident happens in the wake of a massive fish kill in the Periyar, which caused significant damages to cage fish farmers. “No such incident was observed in the canal during our inspection on August 5 (Monday). However, since it occurred on Sunday, we have written to the PCB to investigate the matter and collect samples for inspection,” said officials from the municipality health wing.
PCB sources said that they conduct routine inspections in CSEZ. In this case, they would be inspecting the area on August 6 (Tuesday), they added.
Over 100 dead fish were found floating on the surface in several stretches of the canal, which is used by people along its banks for bathing and also serves as a source of replenishment for nearby wells. Last month, the municipality had issued a notice to a company in CSEZ for improper effluent discharge.
While companies had effluent treatment plants in compliance with PCB norms, the effectiveness of their operation was in question.
The possibility of the fish kill being caused by something washed up from Chitrapuzha seems unlikely, as it was not found along the entire stretch of the canal. This points to the possibility that the fish kill could have been caused by discharge from one of the companies in CSEZ, according to health wing sources.
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water pollution