College proposal to identify toxic algae gets a national boost

According to assistant professor Shyam Kumar S, fishermen in Kerala and other states don’t know how to identify toxic algae from non-toxic ones.
A research scholar with Foldscope at the Department of Botany at Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam | Albin Mathew
A research scholar with Foldscope at the Department of Botany at Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam | Albin Mathew

KOCHI: When the botany department of Maharaja’s College sent a project proposal to the Central government’s Department of Biotechnology (DoB), little did they know that it would trigger the launch of a nationwide project. The project, ‘Know harmful algal blooms - Save lives’, which is aimed at educating fishermen about algal blooms and associated dangers, got modified into a national one.

According to assistant professor Shyam Kumar S, fishermen in Kerala and other states don’t know how to identify toxic algae from non-toxic ones.

“So, it becomes pertinent to teach them how to identify algae blooms. They have been the cause of fish deaths along the Kerala coast. The toxic fumes emitted by the algae have also triggered allergic reactions in many fishermen,” he said. The blooms turn lethal for human beings when they consume marine organisms that feed on such algae. Incidents of paralytic shellfish poisoning, following an algal bloom, was reported in 1981 from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Three persons lost their lives and 85 were hospitalised in Tamil Nadu. “In a similar incident at Vizhinjam in 1997, seven persons died and around 500 were hospitalised. They had consumed a mussel that had fed on toxic algae. Another bloom that hit Kerala in 2004 resulted in a nauseating smell emanating from the coastal waters extending from Kollam to Vizhinjam. More than 200 persons suffered from nausea and breathlessness for a short duration due to the foul smell,” he said.

According to Kumar, the only solution to prevent such deaths is creating awareness among the fisherfolk. “So, we submitted a proposal. However, after studying the proposal, the DoB modified it to include the use of Foldscope. The department also issued the devices. The devices, which are called $1 microscopes, is to be used to teach not only fishermen but also students,” he said.

Since the microscopes are cheap and portable, they can be used to give a hands-on experience when it comes to learning about microscopic organisms. “Schools can use it to carry out field studies and also allow students to handle the equipment. We have been issued a fund of Rs 8 lakh for the project,” he said.
Meanwhile, the DoB has asked the department to help out fishermen in the Northeast. “The department wants us to teach inland fishermen in Northeastern states. As of now, we have reached an understanding with a college in the Northeast. Students from the institution will be coming over as part of exchange programme,” Kumar said.

What is a Foldscope?
A Foldscope is an optical microscope that can be assembled from simple components, including a sheet of paper and a lens. It was developed by Manu Prakash, a researcher at Stanford University. It was designed to cost less than $1 to build. It is part of the ‘frugal science’ movement that aims to make cheap and easy tools available for scientific use in the developing world.

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