Another mass fish kill was found in the Eloor-Edayar belt of the Periyar again on Wednesday. Dead fish were found on both sides of the Pathalam regulator-cum-bridge in large numbers.
Lack of oxygen in water is said to be the reason for the incident.
This is the second time in the last one week that dead fish has surfaced on a large-scale. Last week, fish kill was spotted on Thursday and Friday.
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It is the 15th time in a year that incidences of fish kill has been reported. Seeking a solution to pollution of the Periyar, reportedly by nearby industries and slaughterhouses, K. Sajeevan, chairman of the Pollution Control Board, will be holding a meeting at Eloor on May 23.
At least 200 kg of fish had been killed in the last few days, said Siji Sabu, chairperson of the Eloor Municipality. She told The Hindu that the waste from the slaughterhouse at Kalamassery market and the waste-mixed drainage water from the Kalamassery dumping yard are perhaps the reason for the fish kill last week. The immediate fish kill could be the effluents from the industries in Edayar.
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Though the municipality had taken up the issue with the PCB, Kalamassery municipality and the industries a number of times, a solution to resolve the issue has not come up.
Drinking water is being supplied to the people from the same river after processing by the KWA and a cluster of companies led by FACT. The potable quality of the water is always at the back of the mind, said Ms. Sabu.
It is learnt that PCB officials had collected samples from the river, but the locals complained that they had collected the samples from a different place than where the mass fish kill was found. The environmental engineer at the Eloor office of the PCB could not be contacted for comment.
It is said that if the level of oxygen is below 4 per cent, fish in the water body would get killed because of lack of oxygen.
PCB Chairman to hold meeting next week