Kollam: Protests and constant pleas to control pollution have been a routine affair for the residents near the Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML).
Now the people raise their voice against the company as they have spotted hundreds of dead fish along the National Waterway III near its mineral separation plant in Chavara.
The health department has collected samples to investigate the reason behind water contamination.
People accuse the state-run integrated titanium dioxide producer of discharging chemical waste through the sewage to the TS Canal harming marine life.
It was also observed that the colour of the water changed to red in the areas along Kovilthottam to Neendakara in the NW-III.
"The KMML had been following a practice of draining out acid mixed effluent to the TS Canal," social activist Sumanjith Misha told DC.
"The Chittoor residents have been on protest for the past several months against the pollution the company is least concerned about."
"The effluent from the TS Canal will subsequently reach the sea which affects marine life. The company should stop this immediately," he added.
Meanwhile, the KMML authorities denying such an incident maintained no such hazardous chemicals flowed out into the canal and the change in colour was because of heavy rains in the area for the past few days.
The health department has sent the samples to the food safety department to determine whether the dead fish was edible as the residents used nets to collect the fish floated in the water body.
Apart from an environmental hazard, this has also affected the livelihood of traditional fishermen lived on either side of the canal.
