Mass fish kill: Two years on, Periyar fishers await compensation
Fisherfolk in Kerala's Ernakulam district are still awaiting compensation two years after a massive fish kill caused by industrial effluent discharge. Despite recommendations from the Fisheries Department for significant financial aid, affected farmers and fishermen have yet to receive payments for their losses.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between industrial development and environmental protection, as well as the slow pace of bureaucratic relief for vulnerable communities.
Two years after the massive fish kill along the downstream of the Periyar River along the Eloor-Edayar industrial stretch in Ernakulam, the fisherfolk are yet to receive the compensation for the heavy loss suffered by them.
Dead fish was found floating on a large-scale on May 21, 2024 from near the Pathalam bund and downstream following suspected release of effluents from industrial units. The Fisheries Department had recommended a compensation of about ₹13.75 crore — ₹7 crore for cage farmers and ₹6.75 crore for fishermen who make a living out of fishing in the river and waterbodies linked to it.
A people’s report prepared by representatives of local residents and environmental activists and experts on the mass fill kill had estimated a loss of ₹31.25 crore for cage fish farmers and ₹10.6 crore for capture fisheries over the six months after the incident.
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