Alarming rise in waste pile-up in the seas

Distressed by waste materials accumulated in fishing nets, fishermen raise concern over increased dumping of waste in waterways. K Venkataraman, former director of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) said that if the menace is allowed to continue unabated, it would pose a major threat to humankind.

Chennai:A sharp Increase in marine pollution is posing a threat to humankind, according to researcher K Venkataraman, former director of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The changes happening, of late, in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu is a wake-up call to the dangers of coastal pollution.

Changes in coastal areas

Speaking to ETV Bharat, K Venkataraman said “There are two reasons for this problem. Firstly, the sea currents will be intense from November to March, travelling towards the northern direction. Secondly, due to the increasing traffic of ships, the chances of dumping heavy chunks of trash into the seawater in the Bay of Bengal have increased. Hence, the Coast Guard must be vigil on this count in the coastal areas. If this menace is allowed to go on unabated, ultimately, it will become a large threat to humankind as a whole.”

It has become a common experience for fishermen to be noticing a heavy amount of dust and waste floating in the seawaters, according to their own accounts. Trash and waste materials from other states are dumped on our State coasts, they said, speculating that they are carried away by winds into the seawater. For the past one week, this nasty phenomenon has been taking place, they complained.

According to the eye-witness accounts of the fishermen, during heavy rains, the excess water that runs off into the sea contains large chunks of waste. However, the waste materials will disappear into the deep sea, carried away by the surging waves. Then large amounts of waste stagnate on the surface water of the sea, putting at stake the survival of marine species and also causing technical snags on fishermen's motorboats, they said.

Threat to life

Speaking about the waste materials accumulated in the seawater, Ethiraj of Nochikuppam said, “With the mounting pile-up of waste in the seawater, the mechanized boats operate at the risk of capsizing. The incidents of boat capsize have taken place a couple of times recently. So, trash piling up on the seawater is something like the Damocle’s sword hanging over our head. There is no guarantee to our life. Each time we set out for fishing, our fingers are crossed.”

K Bharathi, president of the South India Fishermen Association, said,” Such incidents of mounting waste are quite common during the times of storm. During rainy days, lots of plants and creepers would find their way into the sea. Sometimes, plastics and a negligible amount of waste would float in the seawater.

"During the past week, unusual amounts of waste and dumped materials are seen in the sea like never before. As a result, our occupation has been affected to a great extent. The government and the Fisheries department officials must launch an investigation into this problem.”

Another fisherman Gowrilingam belonging to Eenjampakkm in Chengalpattu complained that the floating waste materials in the seawater damage our boats. We set out into the sea to catch fish, but return with our nets full of waste.”