BENGALURU: While Karnataka is taking its first steps towards formally addressing the issue of plastic along its coastline, a major hurdle before it is the management of thermocol waste.
Officials at the National Green Tribunal and marine experts said thermocol should be banned immediately. Despite the rules banning plastic in 2016 and amending them in 2022, making them more stringent by banning single-use plastic, it is still found in abundance. Now is the right time to stop the use of thermocol in packing, processing and transportation. Collection of thermocol from oceans has become a tedious exercise and many a time it is not even possible to retrieve this waste as it disintegrates, contributing to microplastic waste that enters into people’s bloodstream.
Karnataka, which is a leader in environmental protection and in ensuring an increase in wildlife population, now it has become the first state to control plastic pollution on its coasts. Under its K-Shore (Karnataka - Surface Sustainable Harvest of Ocean Resources) programme, also known as Blue-Plastic project, the state’s environment and forest departments have taken up a five-year initiative to clear plastic from the Arabian Sea.
The project is clearing not just floating plastic waste, but also legacy plastic waste. It will also help address the issue of microplastic, which is affecting the health of aqua life. The programme will cover protection of estuaries, mangroves, coastline plantations and afforestation.
All the trash thrown into water bodies, like lakes, drains and rivers, eventually end up in the sea. For example, the pollution in Vrishabhavathi Valley, which is a tributary of Cauvery river, and pollutants thrown into rivers in the pristine Western Ghats or drains in coastal areas flow into the sea. This is resulting in fish kill not just in lakes and rivers, but also in oceans.
Despite the ban on plastic, it is still finding its way into one’s biological system as people are increasingly consuming food items filled with microplastics. This is because the ban on single-use plastic is not being imposed effectively. It continues to be part of people’s daily lives and all this plastic waste is found in large quantities in oceans. Worryingly, there is no study to ascertain the exact quantity of plastic floating in the sea and the legacy waste.
According to the Karnataka Fisheries Department, till March 2023, 12.25 lakh metric tonnes of marine and inland fish catch was reported, of which 7.3 lakh metric tonne was marine fish. The officials did not deny the presence of microplastics in the bodies of aqua life, but admitted that so far no studies have been done. They said they are not banning fishermen from using plastic fishing nets or using plastic and thermocol to pack and store their catch.
Marine and ocean experts said that though these numbers indicate an increase in fish population, there are multiple worries, the biggest being the quality of fish and its effect on people.
“Fish are not territorial. Large catch in one area also means there is a depletion in another area and fish could have moved because of increasing pollution. Private studies in other countries have shown the presence of PVC, aluminum and plastic in fish. Many endemic fish species that were found 30 years ago in Mangaluru and other coasts in Karnataka are now extinct. There is no scientific regulation for fishing and fish with contaminants are landing on people’s plates. Studies have shown that of the 200 fish-eating people, 80 have microplastics in their bloodstream. No one knows the long-term impact of microplastic on humans and aqualife as no studies have been done in India or abroad,” said a marine expert.
An NGT expert said the biggest worry now is addressing thermocol pollution. Studies have shown thermocol sediments along with plastic on seabeds. Disintegrating plastic is changing its composition and getting settled in layers. It is mimicking plants, and fish are consuming it. Its biological and hormonal effect on humans and aqualife is still not known.
Experts said no studies have been done to know the quantity of micro-plastics in aqualife and how much of it is consumed by people daily. As per the United Nations Environment Programme report, there is around 199 million tonnes of plastic in the oceans. This would double by 2030 and triple by 2040. Plastic contributes 60% to the total marine debris. In 2006, the UNEP had estimated that 46,000 pieces of plastic are floating in Indian oceans.
“The chemical composition of plastic changes in saline water. Single-use plastics are still not recycled or collected 100%. They land in oceans and break down because of the saline water and sun. They dissolve in sea water and are consumed by aqualife which we eat. While samples are being taken to study the amount of microplastics in fish people eat, no study has been done on its effects on wild species, whether they would become extinct or their tolerance would change,” said a senior marine expert from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
WHAT IS K-SHORE
Under the project, the state government departments, headed by the Karnataka Forest and Environment Department, will study the quantity and quality of plastic in the sea, and will also clear it. The project has been taken up for five years with the support of the World Bank. The World Bank has sanctioned Rs 840 crore and the detailed project report is being prepared. The forest department will be the nodal agency to execute the project by involving other stakeholders like municipal administrations and rural development and panchayat raj, tourism and fisheries departments, city corporations, Karnataka Biodiversity Board and experts.
“We all have seen plastic floating in the sea. But divers and experts have seen legacy plastic waste settled on seabeds and life gradually growing on it. To clear all the waste from the sea, this study was initially conceptualised and presented to the World Bank. They were thrilled and that is how it came into shape. It was sanctioned by the World Bank in January 2023. It was handed over to the forest department from the environment department in February 2023, and in March 2023 a meeting was held with the World Bank where they agreed to take it ahead,” said a senior environment department officer.
While cleaning exercise is taken up at all beaches every day, it has been observed that after every high tide or low tide, plastic from the sea lands on the beach. This means there is a lot more waste than what is floating that needs to be cleaned.
Brijesh Kumar Dikshit, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Development, Karnataka Forest Department and project chairman, said the focus will be first on clearing floating plastic. Plastic shed areas are being created. These are areas drawn from the Arabian Sea, eastwards till the first hill slide ends. Here, rivers, streams, rivulets etc will be cleared and garbage will be stopped. The focus is first on coastal towns and Western Ghats.
WORKING BACKWARDS
The environment department has also asked city and rural municipal bodies to start managing their plastic waste effectively. According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), till 2022-23, Karnataka generated 2.96 lakh tonnes of plastic annually. Bengaluru generates 600 tonnes of plastic waste every day. According to private reports, a citizen contributes a minimum of 53 gm of plastic waste daily. Despite the ban on single-use plastic, large quantities of chips, biscuit packets, paper cups etc are used and disposed of unscientifically. As per plastic ban rules and National Green Tribunal orders, no plastic should reach landfills or bins, however that is not the case, said a senior KSPCB official.
As per reports, less than 20% is being sent to cement industries for incineration and the remaining is reaching landfills. “In 2016, Karnataka banned plastic and defined rules for its management. In 2022, the Centre brought in uniformity in rules for the entire country. Malls and large supermarkets have shifted to cloth bags, but issue continues with packed food items, manufacturing units not taking back plastic items and small vendors who cannot be penalised every day. Sending plastic waste to cement industries for incineration is one solution. The other is using it to make bitumen tarred roads. Though a small quantity is used in roads, it was still effective. But this is gradually reducing as the state government is focused on white topped roads where plastic cannot be used. If managed at the first stage, plastic waste entering water bodies and reaching the sea will also come down. But citizens should realise this,” said the official.
EXAMPLES SHOW THE WAY
Some NGOs are already working to help reduce the flow of plastic or other waste into the ocean. In Andaman Islands, the Kachrewale Foundation is working with the Andaman Forest Department in clearing ocean waste.
Foundation founder Garima Poonia said that in the last 4-5 months, 1.6 tonnes of plastic waste was collected and it was found to be from 20 different countries. “We can tell where the waste is from and how old from the labels. Thermocol is also seen on beaches. We collect all the plastic and send it to the mainland for processing as there are no incinerators in the Andaman Islands,” she said.
Sahaas, an NGO, has put up barricades along the drain in Udupi to stop the flow of trash into the Arabian Sea. Its CEO Archana Tripathi said that every day, around 100-200 kg of trash is stopped and collected.
Many NGOs are working on Gurupura, Netravathi and Phalguni rivers to stop the entry of waste into the ocean. With the help of RDPR department, women self-help groups are being roped in to segregate and send waste to processing units.
AQUALIFE BOUNCING BACK
Though there has been increasing sightings of aquatic wildlife, especially Olive Ridley turtles, whales, dolphins and other species on Indian coasts, there has been a concern over the health of aqualife.
Nestings of Olive Ridleys on Karnataka beaches have increased in Devbagh beach since 2003, while the sightings of dolphins and whales have gone up in Netrani.
“Project SeaBird from Ankola to Karwar poses the biggest threat to turtle breeding. Similarly, glass buildings are no longer limited to Bengaluru, but are also increasingly being seen in coastal areas. The dilution of coastal regulation and eco-sensitive zones is also bad news,” said a senior environment department official.
STUDY
“Long term studies and aggressive measures are needed. The era of creating awareness and the mentality that someone else will set rules and implement is over. The country’s jurisdiction is limited to 12 nautical miles and the deep sea impact of pollution is still not addressed.It is not known how much plastic is floating and how old,” said a MoEFCC official.
Experts said India is poor in its ocean study. Despite having over 7,517 km of coastline across nine states, studies are limited. “The dependency on oceans and seas is high. But the methods for its protection are limited. It is evident from the sightings of migratory and endemic species in the oceans,” said a senior NGT official.
World Environment Day
June 5
Theme
Beat Plastic Pollution
World ocean Day
June 8
Theme
Planet Ocean
Tides are Changing