Is it ‘Phalguni River’ or ‘Black River’? 100’s of Fish Dead due to Pollution

Is it ‘Phalguni River’ or ‘Black River’? 100’s of Fish Dead due to Pollution

Mangaluru: We all know there is “The Black Sea” which is a body of water between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine- but do you know that right now in DK, we do have “The Black River”, originally the “Phalguni River”? Once a clean and non-polluted “Phalguni River” has turned so black due to oil residue and release of other industrial effluents- Team Mangalorean decided to name it as “The Black River?” And the people residing along the banks of this “Black River” aka “Phalguni River” in Maravoor, Kenjar and Jokatte areas have been affected by the contamination of water due to the release of industrial effluents. The water pollution has proven disastrous for aquatic life, where hundreds of fish have died, and washed near the bank of the river.

Staff from the Karnataka State Pollution Board Control have collected samples of the polluted water for analysis. Shashidhar Shetty, the Rastriya Parisara Samrakshana Okkoota secretary speaking to the media has said that the effluents are released by the nearby industries into the open drain which joins the Phalguni River, on which the dam has been constructed near Malavoor. As a result, the groundwater in the area has also been contaminated. This is evident with the fact that the water in the wells in the nearby houses has been spoiled, he complained. A member of the Rastriya Parisara Samrakshana Okkoota meanwhile, warned the district administration of staging a protest by setting up tents in front of the deputy commissioner’s office and dwelling there, if no action is initiated against the wrongdoers within 24 hours.

Water before pollution….                                …..and after pollution

Ganesh Malli and Prabodh Shetty and family of Maravoor

Residents say untreated effluents being let into the rivulets joining the Phalguni. With the Phalguni water on the downstream of the Malavoor vented dam turning black, it has led to the death of fish and other aquatic species, causing concern among residents living in the downstream. Residents have also complained of water in open wells getting polluted. Since no fresh water was let out from the Malavoor dam, it was reported that the contamination has become concentrated in the downstream. A team of reporters who visited the Maravoor vented dam found fishes dead near the vents of dam towards the downstream of the Phalguni. Dead creatures including fish and crabs have been found floating during the last couple of days in the Phalguni River and the stench emanating from the water full of dead creatures has spread in the area. Although the whereabouts of the contaminating agents are not yet confirmed, the industry effluents are visible as the water on one side of the Malavoor dam has turned black in colour. The water portion on one side of the dam is clean and pure, while the other side is filthy with oily residue- and has turned black.

Prabodh Shetty and Ganesh Malli and their family who reside near the banks of this river near Maravoor have faced lots of inconvenience due to the contamination of the water- their well water which was clean two days ago, has now turned black with oily residue on top. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Ganesh Malli said, “The water has turned black over the last one week and such an incident has taken place for the first time in many decades. Fish like ’Mudavu’, ’Irpe’ and ’Periyolu’ and also crabs have died in large numbers. People dwelling near the dam have been plagued by the stench. Although the matter has been informed to Moodushedde Gram Panchayat, the officers and elected representatives have continued to ignore the problem. We also had a meeting at the nearby temple, where many nearby residents attended, and we have all decided to file a complaint, and later get into further action if we don’t see any progress”. (see the color of the well water, and also the color difference between the water in two glasses- in the photos here)

Titus D’Souza, yet another resident of Padushedde Kudru, adjoining the vented dam, told reporters that the death of fish and other aquatic species was seen since the last one week. “I have lived for over five decades in this area. I have never seen such deterioration in condition of water. The stench of the dead fish was becoming unbearable. The contamination of water was because of untreated effluents being let into the rivulets joining the Phalguni. The downstream gets polluted often. But this is first time the situation has aggravated.”

Elvita, a resident of Thokur, said that the pollution of the river has made it difficult for residents living downstream to make use of water from the open wells, which is the only source of drinking water. “The water has a strange smell and an oil layer appears on the top as it drawn from the well. We need to boil water and filter it before using it to drink.” Rice prepared using this water in the morning does not last till noon, she added.

On the other hand, many residents of Lower Kenjar, Thokur and Maravoor who are dependent on the river water, speaking about the sand mining in the area said “Due to regular Sand Mining the water is not potable. Illegal sand mining, which is being carried out excessively in the area, has resulted in increase in salinity of the water over the last one year. Along a stretch of one kilometre, from Maravoor to Jokatte, 27 sand mining licences have been issued and sand extraction is being carried out during the night as well. The Jokatte Gram Panchayat has been supplying water through tankers. However, the quantity is far less than the needed. Water in the wells has also turned salty,” they said. The contamination of water due to industrial effluents has worsened the problem. Two cattle belonging to one, Prabhakar Shetty have died after drinking the polluted water.

Shashidar Shetty, from National Environment Care Foundation said that the Kandla or the mangrove on the island between the river, has gone dry due to illegal sand mining. “The district administration and the district in-charge minister are directly responsible for the incident of water contamination. If no action is initiated within 24 hours, the local residents will put up tents in front of the deputy commissioner’s office as a mark of protest,” he warned. The residents also took out a candle-light march under the banner “Save Mother Nature, Save Water” recently.

On Thursday, Minister for forest, environment and ecology B Ramanath Rai had visited the spot and warned strictly that legal action will be taken against those who pollute the river. According to KSPCB officials, the BOD (biological oxygen demand) and DO (dissolved oxygen) levels have reduced and water has become septic. He has also sought a report on the incident within five days. He has directed the concerned officials to identify the industries which are releasing untreated effluents into the river. A survey must be conducted in all areas of the river flow. Samples of the water must be sent to for lab tests. Guidance must be taken from experts in NITK, Minister Rai urged.

Rai also said that this case is considered very seriously and action will be taken against the wrongdoers. But the residents who met Minister Rai said that it was due to the negligence of the district administration which led to the pollution of the river, which was once clean and safe. Even though the district administration was aware of the incident, the concerned officials have visited the spot after quite sometime. This water is very harmful for humans, animals- and also the fish. We are all helpless now, when we need clean water. Even our wells are polluted, they complained to the minister.

Meanwhile, DC Dr. Jagadeesha putting a blame on MCC had said that prima facie the Phalguni water turning black in the downstream of Maravoor dam is a result of accumulation of untreated water released from the Mangaluru City Corporation’s sewage treatment plant. “The untreated water was discharged two months ago. As there was no outflow of water from Malavoor vented dam, the untreated water had got accumulated in one kilometre-radius from the dam that has now turned black. Officials from the Karnataka Pollution Control Board, who are studying the issue, have said that rain can bring relief to the residents. I will seek a report from the KSPCB officials on the interim measures that can be taken against the blacking of water. We will take necessary action and address people’s concern,” .

In response to the statements made by the DC, MCC Mayor Kavitha Sanil during a council meeting said, “The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) does not release effluents from its sewage treatment plants to Gurupur River. The allegations of MCC releasing effluents from its sewage treatment plants from Pachanady is far from truth. Officials of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) have alleged that the reason for water contamination in River Gurupur is due to the release of effluents from sewage treatment plants of MCC. No untreated effluents flow to Gurupur river from Pachanady. We have all facilities to treat water in our sewage treatment plants, where extra generator also has been procured. There is no scope for letting untreated sewage letting flow from our plants,”.

Mayor, who is also a member of KSPCB, suggested the Board officials take action against industries in the nearby areas that actually pollute Gurupur River. “Don’t blame the city corporation and protect industries. Take action against those who contaminated the river. Let the Board bring experts from Bengaluru to conduct studies and find the source of pollution,” she added. Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer and MCC Council chief whip M Shashidhar Hegde also joined the Mayor during her statement today.

Commissioner Nazeer said that the MCC treats the sewage from Pachanady promptly and the treated water is being supplied to water plants in Pilikula Nisargadhama. It may be recalled that the water in Gurupur River has been contaminated and as a result large number of fish died. Similarly, a few days ago, three cows also died after consuming water from a stream that connects the river. A foul smell also emanate from the river in the area downstream of Malavoor dam, which was inaugurated recently.