People’s report puts Periyar fish kill loss at over ₹41 crore

A people’s report prepared by representatives of local residents and environmental activists and experts on the mass fill kill in the Periyar in May, has attributed the incident to industrial pollution of the river and called for, among other steps, the immediate restoration of a healthy river ecology, payment of compensation to fishermen who have lost fishing days and fish wealth. The study group commissioned under the aegis of the Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samyukta Samithi, was led by veteran fisheries scientist B. Madusoodana Kurup. The report was presented to Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan in Thiruvananthapuram on July 24 and will be released in Kochi officially on July 27 by former Fisheries Minister S. Sarma, said Charles George, representing the groups that had raised their voice against frequent pollution of the Periyar by untreated industrial waste. May 20 and 21 saw “a catastrophic fish kill downstream of the Periyar, devastating natural fish stocks and aquaculture operations, resulting in significant economic losses and environmental damage,” the study said.