A three-member committee appointed by the principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday inspected the Kuruchikuppam drain and beach to analyse the cause behind the recent phenomenon of the sea turning red in Puducherry.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a news report published in The Hindu about a reddish tinge observed on the northern side of the Promenade Beach on October 17, the Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A. Senthil Vel ordered the panel to ascertain the cause of the colour change and take remedial action to prevent such an incident in the future.
The committee, comprising of H.D. Varalaxmi, Regional Director of the Central Pollution Control Board, Chennai, R. Mohanraju, Professor and Head, Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry Central University and S. Kumaresan, Assistant Professor, Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Biology, Annamalai University were accompanied by officials from the Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC). The team inspected the Kuruchikuppam drain and beach, and collected water samples.
According to N. Ramesh, Member Secretary of PPCC, “The incident was observed on October 17, October 24 and November 1, and samples had been collected on all the three days. Preliminary tests conducted by the PPCC have confirmed it to be red tide or algal bloom. The Noctiluca genus of marine dinoflagellates contain red pigments, due to which the red tide occurs. The algae grows with the increased presence of nutrients in the coastal waters.”
The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) had also collected samples from the beach in October. The panel will be examining the water samples collected by PPCC and the analytical report and analyse the cause of the sea turning red. They will be submitting their report to the NGT in another 15 days, Mr. Ramesh added.
Published - December 20, 2023 03:08 pm IST
