Lok Sabha Question No. 5131 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: Chemical Pollution in  Fishing Areas
Ministry: FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
Asked by: Shri P V Midhun Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 5131

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  MARCH, 2026

## Chemical Pollution in Fishing Areas

## 5131.    Shri P V Midhun Reddy:

Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether studies have been carried out by the Government in fishing-intensive areas to test for chemical pollution in various fishing areas in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has received any representation letters and/or complaints about fish poisoning via chemical effluents used in pharmaceutical units in such coastal areas; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the response mechanism of the Government so far?

## THE MINISTER OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING:

## ANSWER SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALLAN SINGH

- (a) The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in collaboration with State Pollution Control Boards  (SPCBs)  and  Pollution  Control  Committees  (PCCs)  in  Union  Territories,  has established the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) to regularly assess water quality and facilitate the prevention and control of pollution in water bodies. Currently, CPCB monitors the water quality of aquatic resources in the country at 4922 locations, of which 227 locations are on marine water bodies.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh informed that the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board  (APPCB)  has  constituted  a  Marine  Pollution  Task  Force  to  facilitate  periodic assessment of marine pollution, with one representative from the Fisheries Department. The State has also deployed Mobile Marine Pollution Monitoring Units to identify pollution hotspots along the coast and provide periodic data on temporal and spatial variations in seawater characteristics. Under NWMP, Andhra Pradesh has 27 monitoring locations on marine/coastal water bodies. The Governments of Odisha and Tamil Nadu have informed that  their  Fisheries  Departments  have  not  commissioned  dedicated  studies  to  assess chemical pollution in fishing-intensive areas

(b)  and  (c)  The  Department  of  Fisheries,  Ministry  of  Fisheries,  Animal  Husbandry  and Dairying has not received any representation letters and/or complaints about fish poisoning caused  by  chemical  effluents  used  in  pharmaceutical  units  in  such  coastal  areas.  The Department of Fisheries, Government of Andhra Pradesh, has reported that the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has received representation from fishermen and local villages regarding pollution in the Uppada area. In this regard, APPCB has constituted a three-member Expert Committee comprising representatives from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), and Andhra University to conduct a rapid environmental audit of industries discharging wastewater through the marine outfall near Uppada.

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