Keep off sand: Here’s how dirty your beaches are
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU
MUMBAI: Venturing into Mumbai’s beaches or swimming in its waters may no longer be safe. Across beaches in the city, faecal coliform (FC) — a bacterium found in human and animal excreta — is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than a permissible limit set by law, according to a study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Nagpur. The study focused on the impact sewage discharges have on water quality on the west coast Across beaches in the city, faecal coliform — a bacterium found in human and animal excreta — from sewage is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the permissible limit set by law, according to a study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)
Mumbaiite, this means even the slightest intake of this contaminated sea water while swimming could lead to gastrointestinal illnesses like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain, headaches, fevers, respiratory infections This means even the slightest intake of this contaminated sea water while swimming could lead to gastrointestinal illnesses like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain, headaches, fevers, respiratory infections and skin and eye irritation
You aren’t any safer standing on the shore. The faecal bacteria also stay on sand and other sediments on beaches.
The FC count at Bandra – one of the city’s two major sub-marine outfalls that discharge treated sewage – stood
per 100 millilitres (15 million Colony Forming Units/100ml), as against the permissible limit of 100 bacteria cells per 100 ml (100 CFU/100ML) in the receiving water body.
At the Worli outfall, the FC count in treated effluent was
Similarly, at the Malad and Versova creek discharge points, FC counts were found to be 21 million CFU/100ML and 46 million CFU/100ML.
“Faecal contamination at discharge points is very high. Although the sewage does get diluted when it mixes with the sea and the creek water, the FC count is still 100 to 1,000 times higher at all the city’s beaches,” said Ritesh Vijay, the lead investigator at NEERI.
“The west coast is highly contaminated with bacteria. There is no treatment to remove the bacteria in the existing facilities,” he said.