Alleging that effluents discharged by fishmeal units to Udhyavara river near Udupi in Karnataka are leading to the death of fish in a water body, a resident has moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT), seeking closure of such units.
Kishore Kumar, a resident of Udhyavara, in his affidavit before the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has alleged that an expert committee formed by the Tribunal earlier failed to go into details of the pollution.
"The Udhyavara river, also known as Papnashini, is home to various marine species both flora and fauna. The water is also being used for domestic needs. The Zilla Panchayat has earlier reported that fishmeal units were discharging industrial effluents directly into the Udhyavara river and pointed out its serious impact. Even Udhyavara Gram Panchayat also expressed similar concerns," the applicant said.
"The joint committee appointed by the NGT earlier reported otherwise. Still, some industries discharge the wastages and wastewater directly into the Udhyavara river, and the water pollution has caused the death of fish. The committee failed to discharge its duty in a fair manner and failed to report river pollution due to discharge of industrial wastewater," the applicant alleged.
The Southern Bench of the NGT had been hearing the issue of Udhyavara river pollution due to industries, mostly fishmeal companies, located in the Udhyavara Gram Panchayat. The NGT also formed a joint committee earlier for spot inspection.
Due to river pollution, a large number of fish have died near Pitrodi part of Udhyavara river, the applicant said in his counter-affidavit.
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(Published 07 November 2021, 16:36 IST)
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