Fishermen cry foul as dye units pollute Keleghai river in Egra sub-division

The waters of the Keleghai river, once a lifeline for thousands of fishermen in East Midnapore, are now alleged to be running thick with chemical waste from cloth dyeing factories.

Nets that once pulled up glistening catches now haul in little more than despair. With incomes slashed, skin diseases spreading, and fish breeding disrupted, fishing communities along the riverbanks say their survival is being quietly poisoned.

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The crisis has now formally reached the administration. The Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Egra has directed the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Patashpur-I and the Assistant Engineer of Agri-Irrigation, Egra, to examine allegations that wastewater from textile dyeing units is being discharged directly into the river. An action taken report has been sought at the earliest.

The directive follows a petition submitted on 27 January by the Purba Medinipur Matsyajibi Forum, which alleged that 26 cloth colouring factories under Amarshi-II Gram Panchayat in Patashpur-I block are releasing untreated effluents into the Kelaghai. The forum stated that the information regarding the operational units was obtained under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

According to the fishermen’s body, the river has been facing progressive degradation for nearly 15 years. The unchecked growth of water hyacinth and other aquatic weeds has already reduced flow and increased stagnation. The alleged discharge of dye-laden wastewater, they claim, has compounded the crisis, affecting fish breeding cycles and drastically reducing the catch.

“Before these factories came up, fishermen could earn Rs 350 to Rs 400 a day by working just two to three hours,” the forum stated in its representation. “Now many struggle to earn even Rs 100 a day.”

Beyond the economic distress, health concerns are mounting. Fishermen allege that entering the river now causes itching and skin ailments, forcing several among them to abandon fishing altogether. Thousands of families dependent on the river across East Midnapore and neighbouring West Midnapore districts are reportedly facing severe livelihood insecurity.

Official records from the Patashpur-I BDO’s office, in response to an RTI query dated 21 October, 2025, list multiple running cloth colouring factories across villages such as Amarshi, Amgachhiya, Chakdebi, Panchuria and Bhagabanpur under various gram panchayats. While the document confirms the existence of the units, it does not detail their environmental compliance status.

The forum has also alleged that illegal brick kilns and fish enclosures along stretches of the river in Patashpur-I and Bhagabanpur-I blocks are further contributing to ecological stress, narrowing the river channel and altering its natural flow.

Environmental norms prohibit the discharge of untreated industrial effluents into natural water bodies. However, the fishermen claim that repeated representations to authorities over the years yielded little response, and the pollution has continued unabated.

In their latest petition, the Matsyajibi Forum has demanded immediate administrative steps to halt the discharge of wastewater from the 26 factories and called for a public hearing to assess environmental damage and ensure compensation for affected fishermen.

The Kelaghai is a significant river system in southern Bengal, supporting fisheries, irrigation and local ecosystems. Experts warn that prolonged contamination could have cascading impacts on agriculture, groundwater and public health if not addressed promptly.