PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, March 15: The city’s lifeline Subernarekha river is in the midst of its annual struggle against weeds and an outbreak of algal bloom, which is normally associated with warm temperatures, but conservationists say in the Steel City pollution is the sole culprit every year.
Notably, the stagnant water resulted in algal blooming. The algae which is being observed on the surface of the river water for the past few days are fast depleting dissolved oxygen and killing fish that are floating up dead on a 2km stretch of the river along the Subernarekha ghat in Sakchi, near Mango bridge.
Environmentalists are concerned over the prevailing situation and said that the river was in critical health.
“The green cover is threatening. Algae and weeds on the water surface indicate toxicity. Weeds also restrict flow of the river, making the water stagnant and an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Unless intervened now, the condition of the river will only worsen,” said Raja Ghosh, a local environmentalist.
He went on to say that domestic waste and industrial effluent are choking the river. The river has become shallow and yet the weed-covered surface is not allowing sunrays to penetrate, which is detrimental to aquatic health.
A recent survey conducted by the Adityapur-based regional office of Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) has suggested that the dissolved oxygen level in the river had dropped to around 4.5ppm (parts per million) on the affected stretch.
“The danger mark is 4ppm. If the DO level plunges below that, hundreds of fish will die instead of the few that are dying now,” said a JSPCB officer.
He added that algae thrive in stagnant water and the river needed an external push to survive.
Heavy rain or releasing water from Chandil Dam is the only solution, explained the official.
