Panel to probe fish deaths; Minister says human wastes likely cause

CHENNAI: The State government has set up a four-member joint committee, comprising officials from the Fisheries Department and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, to investigate the mass death of fish at the Ennore Estuary.

During the Zero Hour at the Assembly on Friday, Opposition members, including AIADMK floor leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, PMK member A Ganeshkumar, DMK member Thangam Thennarasu and Congress member Tharahai Cuthbert, raised the issue.

They said fishermen had been severely affected by the mass death of fish and urged the government to take precautionary measures and provide necessary relief packages to the affected fishermen.

In his response, minister VK Rajeev said preliminary reports based on field visits to five locations, including the Ennore Estuary, indicated that chemical substances from factories were not responsible for the incident.

"Around 2,150 kg of fish had died. The government assessed that human waste was the reason behind the die-off. When human waste mixes with river or canal water, the dissolved oxygen level decreases.

The Pollution Control Board team found that dissolved oxygen levels had fallen below 2 mg, against the normal level of 4 mg, at two locations where the die-off occurred," the minister said.

He said the government-constituted probe panel will submit its report within 10 days.

Thousands of fish and other aquatic animals had washed up dead along the Kosasthalaiyar river near the Ennore Estuary since last Saturday (August 15) morning.

The fishing community had alleged thermal pollution from the hot water discharge of NTECL Vallur as a possible cause for the die-off.