NEPA: Did rum making kill the fish?
THE National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says that it has served an environmental breach notice against the Clarendon Distillery Limited for allegedly releasing dunder into the Rio Minho, which may have been the cause of the fish kill last weekend.
Dunder is a dark-coloured by-product of rum distillation and smells like stale sugar. Dunder reduces oxygen levels in water bodies, such as rivers, which may cause fish to suffocate and die.
In a statement this evening, NEPA said that the fish kill “…is most likely due to the uncontrolled release of dunder into the Rio Minho by Clarendon Distillery Limited. Based on investigations conducted by NEPA the dunder was released some time between Saturday and Sunday.”
The agency said that it has initiated prosecution under Section 11 Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA) against the distillery, which will be served a summons tomorrow to appear in the Clarendon Resident Magistrate Court to answer the charges.
“NEPA will also be examining the terms of the permit issued to Clarendon Distillery Limited to determine whether they are also in violation of any of the conditions,” said the statement.
