PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 26: Algae has returned to maim Singhbhum’s lifeline river, Subarnarekha.
Rapidly proliferating algae has covered the surface of Subarnarekha – from Mango bridge to Bhuiyandih ghat in Jamshedpur – over the past few days and, experts warn, that dearth of an urgent countermeasure can massacre scores of aquatic flora and fauna.
Algae bloom as a result of cultural eutrophication, a term to convey water pollution owing to increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.
“The algal bloom is taking place because the water is stagnant and thus more polluted, ” said an official of the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board.
Though the lifespan of algae is short, they use up dissolved oxygen in water, killing fish and destroying other aquatic life.
Algae also block sunlight from penetrating the water, hindering natural photosynthesis in aquatic plants and depleting the river of oxygen.
A local environmentalist maintained that algae were less harmful than watercress, which is commonly known as jal kumbhi. The plant covers the river surface during summer when the maximum temperature is more than 35°C.
An official of the state water resources department said last year too, an algal bloom had taken place in the river, which was cleaned following the release of water from the Chandil Dam.
“We will undertake a spot inspection soon to conduct a similar exercise to free the river of algal blooming,” he added.
