This named entry refers to the Bawa Fishmeal & Oil Company plant in Mangalore, in the south-western Indian state of Karnataka, but there’s a plant nearby with a very similar name called HKA Bawa & Sons; these two facilities appear to be founded and owned by separate people but were registered as businesses on the same date and both have been subject to similar concerns about pollution from their operations.

Since at least 2020, residents have been complaining and pleading with local authorities about the air and water pollution generated by several fishmeal plants that operate in the city of Mangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. Two of the three plants were Bawa Fishmeal & Oil, HKA Bawa & Sons, and the third was Mukka Fish Meal and Seafood.¹ In January 2021, residents and farmers protested the plants, complaining of various problems including awful smells coming from the plants at night when they release smoke from their stacks. Local business owners complained that the plants regularly sprayed water and soot on people walking or riding mopeds on the road in front of the plants. Shobendra Sasihithlu, President of Sasihithlu Fishermen Cooperative Society, also said the plants routinely release wastewater onto nearby roads, which endangers pedestrians and drivers, while also dumping untreated waste directly on the seashore thus affecting fishers. The stench and the polluting of local waters was additionally problematic because of its negative impact on local business prospects. The road where the plants are based leads to the famous Sasihithlu Beach where an international surfing event is held. The district administration has been trying to promote the beach as a tourism attraction.² On August 5, 2022, Bawa Fishmeal & Fish Oil was issued a closure order from Karnataka State Pollution Board, amongst other citations. On August 18, 2022, Bawa appealed the decision to a higher court.³

The protests of 2021 were not the first controversy surrounding these fishmeal plants. On November 30, 2020, a story was published on daijiworld.com implicating Bawa Fishmeal & Oil, along with two other plants, Mukka Protein and Bawa HKA, in a pollution scandal. The article published screenshots of text messages between locals and officials of the Pollution Control Board complaining of the smell and polluting the surrounding environment. The article contains an image of an official complaint filed to the Pollution Control Board from the Srinivas Institute Medical Sciences & Research Center. The story also details other types of community impact, including clogged throughways, noise and air pollution from heavy truck traffic as well as swarms of flies and birds preying on the dead fish and fouling the homes of locals. The article shows pictures of the black smoke from the plant stacks and litter and pollution streaming into the ocean.⁴ On December 5, 2020, Dr. K V Rajendra, Deputy Commissioner of the Pollution Control Board, in response to community complaints, ordered an investigation into fishmeal and fish oil plants operating in the area of Bawa Fishmeal and Oil.⁵ Both of the Daijiworld articles have several comments from locals, some as late as 2022, complaining about the smell and noise from the plants.

In August 2022, HKA Bawa & Sons was subject to closure orders from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board under both the Water Act of 1974 and the Air Act of 1981, though these orders were converted to show cause notices by the High Court of Karnataka.⁶ However, it appears the plant is still operating at least as late as January 2024, per Google Maps reviews. Google Reviews for the plant are mostly positive. A review from January 2024 states, “Best fishmeal, fish soluble oil and fish soluble paste manufacturer.”⁷ One review from 2021 alludes to odor emanating from the plant, saying, “Place is good but not the smell.”⁸ ** **

Bawa Fishmeal & Oil is an International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization certified producer of dried fishmeal, fish oil, and fish oil capsules. It supplies companies in the EU such as Skretting in Norway, and the Scoular Company in the US.⁹ Skretting did not respond to a request for comment.¹⁰ HKA Bawa & Sons’ website is now defunct, but a 2020 version of the site can be accessed through the Wayback Machine.¹¹ The company also has a profile on indiamart.com, a business-to-business sales platform, which offers information on the company’s history, products, and practices. According to this profile, HKA Bawa & Sons was founded in 1955 in Karnataka, Mangalore and its CEO is Arif Bawa, which suggests that the company is family owned and operated.¹² However, the company’s website lists different dates—one line on the ‘About Us’ page reads the company “was incorporated in the year 1985,” while another on the same page reads “HKA Bawa & Sons was established in the year 1987.”¹³ They create and export fish oil and fishmeal made with Indian Sardines, as well as dry fish and Silver Croaker fish. HKA Bawa & Sons are “licensed suppliers of fishmeal to the Govt. of India for their Aqua Farming projects.” They supply fishmeal to aquatic and poultry farming operations in India, supply the government of the UAE with fishmeal for their agricultural projects, and export products to Japan and other southeast asian countries. Other partners include Thailand’s C.P. Group, Grobest Feed, Godrej Agrov, The Waterbase Limited, and Suguna Poultry Farm Limited.¹⁴

Bawa Fishmeal & Oil produces fishmeal, fish oil, fish soluble paste, and other fishery by-products, according to its website. The company has been operating since 1925.¹⁵ The company website lists the following certifications: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance Module 2020, International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization Membership, Effective and Safe Product by the People’s Republic of China, and Export Inspection Council from the Government of India.¹⁶ Customers included animal feed and aquaculture industries as well as corporations such as Mitsubishi and Toyota Tusho, according to a company brochure.¹⁷

In 2022, the Bawa Fishmeal & Oil plant was among 15 plants ordered by government officials to suspend operation for having violated water and air pollution control norms.¹⁸ The action was taken by the Karnataka State Pollution Control in response to discharging untreated industrial effluent into rivers and the sea and also for inconveniencing the public through a foul smell that emanated from the plant.¹⁹ The plants in the area “lacked effluent treatment plants, biofilters, scrubbers and other issues. Some of them do not have CRZ approval from the competent authority” according to a Times of India article.²⁰ A public comment in response to a Daijiworld about fishmeal plant closure in Ullal and Mukka from September 22, 2023 states that “After the order to close fish units in Ullal sea side there's no effect off it coz it has started again and the smell is so horrible that we can't open our windows in request the concerned authorities (pollution control board) to look in this matter.”²¹ The comment was a general response to the fishmeal plants in the area, which included the Bawa Fishmeal & Oil plant.²² Another public comment under a Daijiworld article about the closed fishmeal plants stated “Sea water on the coast of DK has been polluted since long time by such industries. Big industries like MRPL are also polluting the water even though they claim their waste is treated. This is exactly reason why the fish population is becoming scarce in DK region. Even the fish which is caught is of poor quality.” There are several other public negative comments about the 16 fishmeal plants that were closed located at the bottom of a Daijiworld article about the closed fishmeal plants.²³

Bawa Fishmeal & Oil Company failed to respond to a request for comment.²⁴