Tonnes of plants that look like water hyacinth, which were removed from various canals and rivers, are washing up on the sands of the Marina. Fishermen said the plants were brought in by waves, mainly from the Adyar river estuary.
“They started coming in from early Thursday. Usually, we get to see a lot of drift wood and some plants during monsoon. But this time, large quantities of such plants are washing up from the Broken Bridge to the Napier Bridge,” said K. Bharathi of Nochikuppam.
Ethiraj, a fisherman, said the plants were getting into their nets and propellers. “The plants are all over the sea,” he added.
The Chennai Corporation has been removing the plants from the beach.
A total of 12 tonnes of wet waste were removed till 2.30 p.m. A conservancy worker said they usually get plywood pieces, bottles, tender coconut shells, tyres and thermocol during rain. “This morning, we removed carcasses of two dogs from the mouth of the river. This is the first time that we saw leaves and plants in such large quantities. Perhaps this is the effect of canals and rivers being cleared of water hyacinth,” said his colleague.
On Thursday evening, many beach-goers noticed thick white foam on the sands. Water hyacinths were covered by the foam that forms during monsoon when there is good rain.
A team of researchers from the National Centre for Coastal Research collected samples of the foam and water. Experts, however, warned that residents should not come into contact with the foam, since it could cause skin irritation.
