Dead fish float in the Periyar river.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of fishes were found dead in the Periyar river of Kochi in Kerala on Tuesday. The mass death is suspected to be due to unchecked flow of effluent from the nearby industrial areas.
Fish farmers who suffered huge losses blamed it on the pollution control officials. State industries minister P Rajeev asked the officials concerned to inquire into the matter and the district administration too initiated a probe.
Sources said that unregulated opening of bund owing to the heavy rains led to the excessive flow of effluent accumulated near the bund to the river. Scores of fish farmers involved in cage farming reported loss worth lakhs of rupees. The health and food safety authorities are also on high alert against the chances of selling the dead fish to consumers.
A recent study by the Marine Technology department of Cochin University for Science and Technology found that the pollution from the industries in Kochi was affecting marine resources.