Fishermen of Bharuch district are a worried lot as Effluent Channel Project (ECP) chemical discharges from Vadodara-based industries have been contaminating fish at Mahi estuary in the district for a decade now, say activists.

Even though presence of lead and cadmium in fish has been reported, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and the ECP authorities refuse to accept the charges. They says lagoons are built at ECP and discharge is done only during high tide so that water gushes out well.

GPCB Regional Officer A A Dolti said, “There is no fish contamination. We have already developed lagoons and the effluent releases discharge only during high tide.”

Meanwhile, ECP Joint Managing Director Hemang Bhatt said: “ECP is working according to its guidelines. Repair work is going on in our channel so water is not being discharged right now.”

Suresh Kharwa, running Machhi Samaj Matsya Udhyog Sahkari Mandali at Jambusar, said: “There is no specific time for ECP to release water. This results into spreading of sea pollution at Bharuch coast. Livelihood of fishermen in Nahar, Sarod, Kavi, Nija, Jhamri and Nada has been affected. The polluted water floats near Mahi estuary.”

The ECP built up is quite flawed, according to a report submitted by IIT Roorkee and signed by GPCB Member Secretary Sanjiv Tyagi on June 7, 2008. The report read: “The study report by IIT Roorkee shows little quantity of cement at the channel and bad state of machinery structure. ECP urgently requires preventive maintenance against corrosion occurring through chemicals being conveyed by ECP. There are cracks and cross drainage plasters have peeled off.”

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