Large quantities of fish were found dead and floating in the Kosasthalaiyar river, Ennore, on Aug 2026
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Fishermen said the govt had not paid the relief it promised them in the wake of the incident. The govt must address this,” said S Kumaresan, a Katukuppam resident. Chennai: Fishermen from eight Ennore hamlets plan to block sewage entry points into the creek and Kosasthalaiyar river by dumping sandbags, saying authorities have not acted after mass fish deaths a month ago. “We were assured compensation by the legislator. Environment minister V K Rajeev and MLA Senthilkumar did not respond to calls for comment. Download the TOI App.
More than 8,000 fishermen agreed to plug about 10 suspected sewage-intrusion points next week.
“This is our way of protesting against the govt,” said R L Srinivasan, a fisher leader. “A Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) report said sewage contamination caused fish deaths, yet no action has been taken to solve the issue. We have suffered for years because industries and civic agencies discharged treated effluent and sewage into the river,” he said, adding, “People are now afraid to consume fish from Ennore. Civic agencies know the points where sewage enters the waterbody,” said a TNPCB official. A Metrowater official, however, said the report had not conclusively established the cause of the fish deaths. Metrowater managing director T Anand said the agency had plugged most sewage outfalls through schemes including ‘Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam’. Ongoing schemes and proposals will address the remaining issues,” he said.
The sites are along the creek near Katukkupam, Mugathuvarakuppam and Thazhankuppam, and along Buckingham Canal. About three tonnes of fish died in Kosasthalaiyar and Ennore creek in Aug, forcing fishers to stop work for three weeks. TNPCB found dissolved oxygen levels of 4mg per litre at five locations, pointing to sewage contamination. A fisheries department committee too concluded that sewage, and not industrial effluent, caused the fish deaths. “The report was submitted. “There are no fresh outfall points as of now.