India's most polluted coastline

A major environmental disaster is brewing along the northern coastline of Maharashtra, which, according to a recent study done by the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) for the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), has higher levels of pollution than any other coastline in India. The major reasons for industrial, domestic and port-based pollution along the northern portion of Maharashtra’s 720-km-long coastline are rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and a lack of control over the dumping of chemicals and pollutants into the Arabian Sea, especially in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, says the study. The study shows mainly minor environmental pollution along Maharashtra’s southern coastline, from Murud to Redi. But from Dahanu in the north to Murud, there are low levels of dissolved oxygen, suggesting an organic presence (chemical and domestic pollutants) in the water. Deepwater divers and special Navy boats helped the NIO and MPCB collect the water samples. “The higher levels of hazardous chemicals in inshore waters along the northern Maharashtra coast as compared to the southern coast suggest high organic inputs due to anthropogenic activities, such as sewage, leading to severe deterioration in environmental activity in many instances,’’ says the survey. The Maharashtra coast stretches from Bordi or Dahanu in the north to Redi or Terekhol in the south. It is considered 30 to 50 km wide. The survey says there is relatively more petroleum contamination in the creeks of northern Maharashtra as compared to the south. Due to this, the fish catch in the creeks has been lower than in open-shore waters. There could be a risk to the breeding of commercially important fish and shellfish in the long run. “The bacterial counts are higher in selected creeks and estuaries than in the open coast, suggesting high organic input to the coastal region. Mumbai coast and southern estuaries/creeks are more affected as compared to the rest of the coastal region,’’ states the survey. The state’s shoreline is indented by numerous westward-flowing river mouths, creeks, bays and other water bodies. There are about 18 prominent creeks or estuaries along the coast, with most of them harbouring mangrove habitats. “The coastal region of the state is a place of hectic human activity, intense urbanisation, enhanced industrialisation, resulting in degradation, directly or indirectly, of marine environment and hence this survey was carried out,’’ said an official in Mantralaya attached to the environment department. The official said the study will help the state control the indiscriminate release of domestic and industrial effluents into coastal waters, the reclamation of saline land, offshore construction, the adverse effects of ship movements and the loading and uploading of cargo at ports. The study also reveals that environmental conditions have deteriorated considerably in creeks and estuaries due to the weak flow of freshwater from dams or rivers into the sea during the dry, non-monsoon months.