KOCHI: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is conducting a survey to determine the levels of microplastics in the Periyar river. The survey is a part of a project that is being conducted in seven rivers: Cauvery, Pampa, Godavari, Narmada, Mahanadi, Barak besides Periyar and aims to assess the riverine pollution in the country.
The initiative aims to evaluate the biodiversity and ecotoxicological assessment of the rivers. The survey conducted by the National River Conservation Directorate will gauge the extent of plastic pollution in these rivers and its potential effects on aquatic life.
The survey sampling in Periyar that began on February 16 is expected to be completed within eight days. “Plastic bits that measure less than 5mm are called microplastics. It is an emerging contaminant that is increasingly causing pollution in water, in sediments and in aquatic life.
The project is launched to assess the anthropogenic induced pollution in ecology through a comprehensive assessment. From here, we extend the survey upstream. What we do is filter the water using steel meshes measuring 63 microns and 300 microns.
This will be tested in the lab to understand the amount of microplastics present. The survey will reveal the kind of plastic and the amount of plastic present in river water,” said Sachin Karat, project associate.