Mumbai: The figures from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) who is monitoring the water quality in India under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme revealed that several water bodies in the city which includes Mithi River, Versova beach, Charni Road Chowpatty and the sea water at Gateway of India are having higher amount of Bio chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) which is considered as polluted.
The figure recorded in April reveals that, Mithi River has the lowest water quality index at 31.5 . According to the officials at MPCB, the Water Quality Index (WQI) below 38 is termed as heavily polluted. The figure shows that the WQI was below 38 since January 2015.
The BOD levels were higher in most of the water bodies of the city. The BOD levels above 6 is considered as polluted, said an official from MPCB. The BOD levels were higher at Versova Beach and the sea water at Gateway of India remained at 10 and 11 since 2015. The environmentalists say that the Versova Creek in Mumbai has large quantity of plastics being dumped in nallahs leading to the creek.
Godfrey Pimenta from Watchdog Foundation said, “The dumping of plastics has affected the mangroves which is likely to cause their destruction in coming years. The mangroves are at a greater threat due to dumping of plastics into the creek. It also acts as a breeding ground for small fishes. The sea water has also turned blackish due to high quantity of effluents in it.”
The Mahim creek which also has a higher amount of BOD levels is also polluted. Around 80 crore litres of toxic elements are carried into the Mahim creek on a daily basis which in turn has polluted the Arabian Sea.
Girish Raut, a city based environmental activist said, “Half of the Mahim creek is under BandraKurla Complex. There is 80 percent obstruction of tidal water which is needed for the survival of the mangroves there. It is important to save the Mahim creek to save the city’s coastline.”
