Mangaluru: At a time when Dakshina Kannada District Administration has declared Sasihithlu beach as a tourism spot in Mangaluru, a particular fishmeal producing industry has polluted the coastline of the beach with black effluents. Three companies are responsible for the pollution which has left the locals irked and ready to protest.

Sasihithlu beach was a venue to the International Surf Festival conducted in May this year and another event of the same sort is coming up during mid 2017. But at the stretch leading to the surf festival venue, the sea water is black due to the effluents released by the fish meal companies. This is killing the fish and beauty of the shore alike.  Apart from the terrible sight of small dead fish washing ashore, an unbearable stench also grips the affected area.

According to the locals, this kind of pollution is pretty common in the area as there are three fish meal producing industries around Sasihithlu. The locals are definitely tired of complaining to the Village Panchayath who have not taken any action whatsoever on the polluters to curb this problem.

When News Karnataka approached a local by the name Santhosh, he said, “Three fishmeal manufacturing companies release their toxic effluents directly into the sea without purification process and turn the water black. We are tired of giving them warnings on this matter but they pay no heed to our concerns.”

News Karnataka team visited the affected area and found that more than a hundred metre stretch has been afflicted with black water. The shore also is seen to have turned black due to the polluted water movement. Small dead fish are also being washed ashore by the tides.

Santhosh and his team of local shoreside dwellers are now planning to give a written complaint to the Pollution Control Board and request the authority to close down these units or make the polluters mend their ways.