KOCHI: The expert committee appointed by the state government to look into the incidents of fish death in the Periyar river had found out that the Pathalam belt in the river is a pollution ‘impacted’ area due to seasonal changes. The committee was appointed after frequent incidents of massive fish deaths were reported near the Pathalam bund every summer. The report is expected to be submitted to the government by September.
“We have completed the detailed study on the fish deaths by collecting water samples, soil quality and water quality, and prepared the report by taking into account other parameters as well. As per our observation, the area near Pathalam Bund is an ‘impacted ‘ area due to the seasonal changes. The brief report along with the detailed report is likely to be submitted by next month,” said said Bijoy Nandan, Associate Professor of the School of Marine Sciences of Cusat and a member of the expert committee.
Bijoy said an action plan which will help prevent the recurrence of similar incidents at Periyar will be submitted along with the report. “The report will also deal with the future course of action which will help in effectively managing the situation and prevent its occurrence in future,” he said.
The study was conducted by the team which mainly include members of Pollution Control Board (PCB), officials from Cusat, faculties and research scholars.
The special Committee was appointed after the environmental activists and locals protesting against the recurring incidents of fish deaths in the river. According to Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, thousands of fish were dead due to the effluents from the industrial units. However, the Pollution Control Board had rubbished the allegation stating that no major industries were located upstream of Pathalam, which invited widespread protests.