Four-member expert panel formed over mass fish kill in Kosasthalaiyar river, T.N. Environment Minister informs Assembly
The Tamil Nadu government has formed a four-member expert committee to investigate the mass death of fish in the Kosasthalaiyar river. While officials attribute the incident to sewage, opposition members allege industrial pollution is the primary cause.
Why it matters
This reflects the ongoing conflict between industrial development and environmental protection in ecologically sensitive areas.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Environment and Climate Change V.K. Rajeev, on Friday (August 21, 2026), said a four-member expert committee has been formed to probe the mass death of fish in the Kosasthalaiyar river near the Ennore estuary recently .
Replying to the Calling Attention Motion moved by AIADMK floor leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami in the Assembly, Mr. Rajeev denied that toxic industrial effluents had mixed with the river water and said the mixing of sewage from nearby areas had led to water pollution. He said the expert committee had been instructed to submit a detailed report within 10 days.
He said officials from the Fisheries Department and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had collected samples of water and dead fish and sent them to a laboratory for analysis. He said a total of 2,150 kg of dead fish had been removed from the Ennore estuary.
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