Monitoring the levels of various marine pollutants in the coastal and offshore waters of the country, assessment of the health of our seas, have been the major endeavours under the programme on Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction Systems (COMAPS), which has been implemented since 1989. Data on 25 parameters are collected on a continuing basis from 77 locations with the help of 10 institutions. Based on the data collected from 1989 to 1991, intensive monitoring of pollutants in 25 locations identified as hotspots is being done for 2-3 seasons a year.

Analysis of data collected has revealed different levels of pollution in various parts of coastline of the country :

- Open sea all along coast, except off Bombay have clean sea waterquality.

- Bedi, Vadinar, Kandla, Bassein Creek, Ratnagiri, Mandovi Zuari, Cannanore, Calicut, Cuddalore, West Bengal Coast are areas of low pollution.

- Porbandar Harbour, Damanganga Estuary, Mangalore, Kochi Backwaters, Alleppey, Kayamkulam, Quilon, Paravur, Veli are areas of moderate pollution.

- Veraval Port, Hazira, Tapi Estuary, Versova Creek, Mahim Bay, Thane Creek, Madras Harbour, Ennore Estuary, Visakhapatnam Harbour, Kakinada, Puri relatively are areas of high pollution.

- Pollution levels have been periodically brought to the notice of the concerned State Pollution Control Boards for remedial action.

The laboratories involved in the COMAPS programme are providing consultancy services to the industries in investigating pollution problems, locating waste disposal points and for environmental impact assessment studies.

The data and information collected under the programme are passed on to the Pollution Control Boards. There is regular interaction between the Pollution Control Boards and the COMAPS institutions. The COMAPS institutions also help the Pollution Control Boards in tracing the sources of pollution from the coastal waters to the point sources. For this purpose joint sampling programmes have been taken up in Tamil Nadu and Orissa and such programmes will be extended to other States.

Follow-up action taken by the Pollution Control Boards to prevent/control of pollution

The Central Pollution Control Board has indicated that as substantial amount of pollutants flow through the rivers, the National River Action Plan, which has been drawn up now, will, to a great extent, help in preventing the flow of untreated pollutants in the coastal waters.

In order to prevent pollution of coastal waters, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board has issued directions under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974 to all industries located along the sea coast to treat the waste water to render its quality to conform to the standards specified by it. The Board carries out pollution monitoring along the coast by collecting samples of effluent discharged by industries. The Board has also taken up the matter with the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) for providing common effluent treatment plants at its chemical estates from where effluent is flowing into rivers like Damanganga, Kolak, Mindhola, Amla khadi, Khari, Mini and ultimately into the sea.

The Maharahstra State Pollution Control Board has informed that it has taken measures to stop supply of water to industries which do not install pollution control systems. Monitoring of industries effluents is being done at industrial estates in Tarapur, Saravali Thane etc. However, small and medium industries face problems in complying with pollution containment measures due to cost intensiveness of pollution control equipment. Steps have been taken for establishment of common treatment plants at several industries estates.

The Goa State Pollution Control Board has decided not to allow the discharge of untreated effluent in coastal waters, exercise utmost care, while selecting new industrial proposals on the basis of their pollution potential, and take due care in monitoring both the pesticide and fertilizer industries, presently operating in Goa.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is regularly monitoring the discharge of effluents by Ballarpur Industries Ltd., Karwar, Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mangalore and Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, Mangalore and these three industries are generally meeting the standards prescribed by the Board.

The Mangalore Municipality is discharging untreated sewage effluents into the Gurpur river which ultimately joins the sea and a notice has been issued to the Municipality for taking further action as per law. Similar action has been taken for other towns located on the sea coast.

The water quality data along inshore waters of the Kerala coast are found to be within the acceptable limits. Efforts are being made by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to further the substantial progress already made to curtail industrial waste discharge. The Government and the Board are trying to further the progress in containing the discharge ofacidic waste water by one industry into the sea at the one hot spot (Veli) identified. Efforts are also underway to promotesewerage system and sweage treatment system in place of on-site sanitation facilities in urban areas and to extend reach of on-site sanitation facilities in rural areas; to promote bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides in place of their chemical counter parts and to control hospital waste disposal and municipal garbage disposal.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board is taking action to initiate appropriate measures to the prevention and control of marine pollution along the Tamil Nadu Coast especially at the discharge points of river such as Cooum, Adyar, Buckingham Canal, Palar, Pazhayar and other outfalls into the sea.

Safety standards have been prescribed by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board for discharging effluents from aquaculture farms extending to more than 40 hactares.