Scientists from the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, will collect water samples from the Chaliyar in the wake of reported presence of a green algae-like substance in the waters at Areekode in Malappuram district. The river caters to the drinking water needs of Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.
Local residents noticed the gradual change in the waters in recent weeks and reported this to the local grama panchayat about it on Saturday.
Scientists say green algae are capable of killing marine life in freshwaters as they can lower the oxygen levels in the water. The nutrients in agriculture and industrial waste being discharged into the water and the rise in temperatures during summer are ideal for their growth, they added.
P.S. Harikumar, Senior Principal Scientist, Water Quality Division, CWRDM, told The Hindu that the water samples would be collected on Monday. Asked if the green substance noticed in the waters was toxic in nature, he said it could be confirmed only after detailed tests. “If there is presence of nutrients such as phosphate and nitrate in the effluents being discharged into the waters, it could lead to the growth of toxic algae. We have not, however, come across toxic algae there as yet,” he said.
Health Department sources said that there had been a practice of discharging farm waste into the river for quite some time. There had been a slight change in the colour of the waters in April-May last year too. However, this time it had been spread across more areas. Officials of the Kerala Water Authority have collected water samples, they added. Nisha, a member of the Areekode grama panchayat, said she visited the area after local residents alerted her about it. The water was sticky for the past few days and there had been a change in colour, she added.
