Gulf of Khambat a dumping yard for hazardous chemicals

Surat, July 11 (UNI) The Gulf of Khambat, Gujarat's rich source of fish varieties, is becoming a dumping yard for hazardous chemicals discharged from thousands of factories on its coast causing long term adverse impact on the state's coastal environment, a study paper says.

The study paper, ''An assessment of Gujarat state's posture towards environment,'' prepared by, a Vadodara based environment activist, was presented in a seminar conducted at Centre for Social Studies here, last week.

According to the study, the Gulf of Khambat has the largest concentration of chemical and ship breaking industries along its coastline in Gujarat.

''The industries dump, a minimum of 350 million meter cube effluents annually into the Gulf of Khambat,'' the study said.

''It is a known and admitted fact that almost 95 per cent of effluent dumped into the Gulf of Khambat is not treated even as per the norms and understanding of Gujarat Pollution Control Board,'' the paper added.

Another major problem that the Gulf of Khambat is facing is that it is not getting fresh water from the rivers except in rainy season.

''Big dams stop almost all river water and remaining water is fetched away by urban cities using deep bore wells. Whatever left in last 50 kms of the river is the effluents and urban waste,'' the study said.

This has caused a decline in fish production and extinction of certain fish varieties.

The study also indicated that the salinity of the Gulf of Khambat is increasing as the level of fresh water inflow is coming down.

''The 7.45 per cent area of the Gulf of Khambat was salt affected in 1960. It rose to 54 per cent in 1984, 57.6 per cent in 1986 and 64 percent in 1993.'' The study says that in the near future about 70 per cent of the water in the Gulf of Khambat will became salive and polluted.

UNI MS MJ YA RK0915