Upsurge of ground water behind the sweet sea water

Mumbai, Aug 19: Upsurge of ground water is prima facie suspected to be one of the reasons for the phenomenal change in the taste of sea water at Mahim Beach which has been drawing a huge crowd from every part of the city as well as far-off suburbs since last night.

According to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) member secretary Dilip Boralkar, ground water, which unlike sea water, tastes sweet, gets fully charged due to heavy rainfall and may also exert excess pressure. Such geological activity, triggered by heavy rainfall, can also cause fine cracks in the rocky bottom through which ground water tends to come out.

The fresh water being lighter than the sea water, it rises to the surface and may give sweet taste like the ground water, he explained adding that this phenomenon is more obvious during low tide.

Normally also the sea water is low in salinity during the monsoon season because of continuous inflow of surface run-off water and rainfall on the sea area.

This year, the monsoon has been aggressive and there has been heavy rainfall in and around Mumbai, and ground water being fully charged may be the cause, he said.

Meanwhile, despite repeated appeal issued by Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Johnny Joseph and health authorities cautioning about the potent health hazard that consuming of the water posed, the believers in the miracle, who have been endlessly thronging the Mahim beach in North Central Mumbai, were seen not able to resist themselves from having a sip of this water.

The non-saline water taste being confined to just a stretch of 100 metres area off the famous ''Dargah' of Sufi saint Maqdoom Baba has further added to the miracle theory and people regard this phenomenon that had manifested since last night as his ''Chamatkar''.

The beach also suddenly sprang up several ingenious merchandise activity such as sale of empty plastic cans and bottles. Their business was roaring as the beach was still continuing to draw endless stream of people to fetch the ''blessed'' water.

The MPCB and the National Institute of Oceanography have joined hands to investigate the phenomenon and the NIO and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) have, at the behest of the civic body, embarked on a study of the sea water from the tip to top along the entire coast of Mumbai metropolis that is made of seven islands. Their report, according to BMC sources, is expected to be received within one week. Meanwhile, the water is slowly regaining its salinity.

UNI

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