Tripunithura municipality has demanded that FACT compensate the loss caused to fish wealth in Chitrapuzha near Irumpanam due to the pollution caused by an accidental chemical discharge over a month ago.
A meeting of municipal authorities and fisheries department was held recently to discuss the issue after it was raised at the last meeting of the district development committee. The discharge had led to fish kill in the area.
Tripunithura municipal chairman R. Venugopal said that the Pollution Control Board had confirmed the pollution after he had taken up the matter with the district collector. “The pollution had led to the massive depletion of fingerlings in the area. I have asked for a memorandum from fish workers detailing the extent of damage caused and how it has impacted their livelihood since they are best placed to assess the damage,” he said.
Once the memorandum is received yet another meeting with fisheries department would be held to reach a decision on the compensation.
Mr. Venugopal is set to raise the issue again at the next meeting of DDC scheduled for later this week asking for a meeting to be attended by the FACT representatives.
PCB sources said that the discharge of phosphoric acid had led to the fish kill and that it was for the fisheries department to evaluate the damage it had caused to the fish wealth. They said that FACT had also admitted to the accidental discharge.
Fisheries department sources said that a socio-economic study is necessary. The local body is best placed to do such an assessment by getting in touch with the fishermen community.
“That assessment is not yet over. Once that is complete and a report is ready, we will verify it before placing it before the district development committee,” a senior fisheries official said.
Mr. Venugopal, however, said that the local body hardly has the expertise or mechanism to assess the depletion of fish wealth and that the fisheries department was the appropriate body to make such an assessment.
