Fishy ice, what’s the catch?
PULICAT: Improper packaging and transportation of ice blocks by the ice manufacturers not only fails to serve the purpose of keeping the fishes fresh but also poses a serious threat to public health.
KRK Ice Plant situated near the Pulicat Lake is one of the many manufacturers of ice in the locality.
Water for manufacturing the ice is drawn from an underground bore-well and it takes three days to produce 320 kilograms of ice. Though the water is carefully checked for salinity, the huge pipes that carry water into the main compressor are old and rusted and are temporarily fixed using brown tapes which lead to contamination of water. The containers in which the ice is stored are corroded and are cleaned only once in three days.
Brine and ammonia coolants which are used in manufacturing ice might lead to serious health hazards if the workers are not properly trained. Binod Kumar (24) the manager of KRK Ice Plant, says, “Every time there are new employees, it’s the old employees who train them.” This increases the
chances of the workers mixing up the quantities of the chemicals.
Transportation of ice blocks in extremely unhygienic conditions adds to further contamination. The workers at the ice plant handle the ice with bare hands as they are not provided with protective uniforms or gloves. The ice blocks are transported in plastic containers without any cover.
Once these huge blocks reach the retail outlets, they are either lined on the floor or on plastic sheets. They are then broken into eight equal parts using an iron rod and put on to the ice cutting machine which breaks it down into smaller pieces.
These small pieces are then wrapped in dirty ragged sacks or packaged in small boxes which are priced ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 500 depending on the quantity. Kalasa (32), who owns R.S. Durai and Co, a retailer who sells ice outside the Pulicat fish market says “Our profit completely depends on the fishermen and their business. If they don’t go for work due to some reason we might incur losses from around Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000. This happens usually during cyclones and rough tides.”
During such times he is forced to sell the ice to small hotels or juice vendors at a much lower price. This can lead to various health risks as the ice prepared for preserving fish is not the same as the one used for soft drinks.
Kuppan (40), a fisherman who regularly buys ice from this shop says, “Sometimes I am forced to sell my catch at a much lower price as the ice fails to preserve the catch. If there is even a hint foul smell, the price falls.”
