A large number of fish were found dead at River Cauvery in Vairapalayam in Erode city on Wednesday.
Discharge in the river from the Mettur dam that was over 15,000 cusecs for Delta irrigation, was reduced to 750 cusecs recently, leading to water stagnation at many places.
Local residents noticed the fish floating in the river where the canal, carrying sewage from households, enters the river. They claimed that a textile processing unit’s discharge and untreated effluents, seeping into drains during night hours finally entered the river, leading to the death of the fish. They said that the number of dead fish was high and pointed out that pollution was the sole reason.
However, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials said that depletion in the oxygen level could be the reason for the death of the fish. They said that samples will be lifted for analysis to ascertain the cause.
