Aroor: Hundreds of families who depend on clam collection for their livelihood are on the brink of starvation as clam stocks have nearly vanished from Vembanad Lake and its tributaries due to severe pollution.

Traditional clam workers along the coastal stretches of Cherthala taluk are among the worst affected, with tributaries such as Veluthully, Kumbalanghi, Kallancherry, Edakochi, Kumbalam, Kaithapuzha, Valanthakkad, Cheppanam, Paravur, Poothotta, Udayamperoor, and Vaikom witnessing a drastic decline in clam populations.

The pollution choking Vembanad Lake has not only depleted fish resources but has also disrupted the natural breeding cycle of clams in the backwater ecosystem. In Ward 14 of Aroor panchayat, several families have depended on clam collection for generations. However, the unregulated discharge of chemical effluents from fish processing plants and other industries has severely impacted clam breeding in Veluthully, Kumbalanghi, Edakochi, Kumbalam, and Kaithapuzha.

With clam beds near their homes wiped out, workers are now forced to travel to far-off locations such as Vaikom, Murinjapuzha, Udayamperoor, and Cheppanam to collect clams. Clam workers from Aanjilikkad in Aroor begin their day as early as 4 am, setting out in motorised country boats and returning only by afternoon. The clams are then boiled and supplied to markets and households by 4 pm.

Earlier, a full day and night of work by two clam workers would fetch between ₹800 and ₹1,000. Today, with pollution ravaging the water bodies and clam stocks dwindling, workers are finding it increasingly difficult to survive, said K P Chellappan of Puthuvalnikarthu and K C Kunjappan of Kalathil—both from long-standing clam-working families.

The duo also complain that they have yet to receive any government assistance. The clam industry workers’ cooperative society in Kuthiyathodu remains their only source of support. More than a thousand families between Aroor and Kuthiyathodu are members of the clam society here.