Kerala private firm has been accused of contaminating the Periyar River near Kochi

In the midst of an intense dispute over the recent mass mortality of fish in the Periyar River, the PCB and the police took a severe stance against the company.

The Kerala administration convened last month to devise both immediate and long-term strategies to avert the continued demise of thousands of fish in the Periyar river.

A private corporation is facing legal action for allegedly contaminating the Periyar river in the vicinity of Kochi. This comes weeks after residents and environmental groups protested against the purported unlawful release of chemical effluents into the waterbody, citing concerns for the waterbody's biodiversity.

The establishment, one of numerous businesses situated along the Periyar River in this area, was also allegedly sent with a warning by the state Pollution Control Board after the discovery of the infraction during recent patrols, according to reports.

Amidst a furious dispute over the recent mass mortality of fish in the Periyar River, the PCB and the police took a forceful stance against the company.

Fish farmers, locals, environmental activists, and political parties staged massive demonstrations in Kochi last month when significant quantities of dead fish were discovered floating in fish farms in nearby panchayats, including Varapuzha, Kadamakkudy, and Cheranalloor. According to a police officer, Shabeer, a local environmental activist, filed a complaint, which led to the corporation being named in a lawsuit.

"The water body was contaminated by the release of effluents, which led to the registration of the lawsuit. It was targeted under IPC Sections 269 and 277," he said.

IPC 269 describes a careless conduct that might spread a disease that is harmful to human life, while IPC 277 describes contaminating public springs or reservoirs with pollutants.

Sources claim that for a while now, protestors and the government have been policing the industrial sector along the Periyar River.

They conducted a search when the river's color became dark early this week and discovered that the cause was the company's garbage disposal.

The Kerala government convened a conference last month to devise both short- and long-term strategies to stop the deaths of thousands of fish in the Periyar river, after criticism from locals and opposition parties.

Locals and environmental groups had complained that the government was not doing enough to punish the enterprises that were supposedly dumping toxic wastewater into the river.