Page 31 - Plastics News March 2019

P. Kaladharan et al.
Table 3. Regional and group wise distribution of beach debris (g/m )
litter (g/m ).
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Litter type
Mean levels
< 1 1.1 - 10 10.1 - 20 20.1 - 50 50.1 - 100 > 100
KERALA
Entire coastline
36
0
51
122
21
17
7
0
0
0
0
Minimum
Karnataka
13
8
2
2
0
8
Maximum
5.5
12
2.5
5.5
19
0
Kerala
32
0.92
0
1
17
0.21
0.01
4
0.47
0.75
0
1.48
0
Average A B C D E 0 0.5 F 0 2 others Table 4. Colour code and the matching grades of beaches based on mean levels of
KARNATAKA Goa 0 5 3 2 0 5
Minimum 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Maharashtra 12 22 4 0 0 0
Maximum 40 150 600 650 10 670 18 Gujarat 3 0 1 2 4 2
FEATURES
Average 6.93 21.91 57.87 63.55 0.3 26.47 1.4 Tamil Nadu 2 31 11 3 0 0
GOA Lakshadweep 0 5 4 1 0 0
Minimum 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Andhra Pradesh 4 9 6 0 0 0
Maximum 543 110 139 500 10 93.2 0 the ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, 0 Mobile app to help monitor plastics
Odisha
1
7
0
0
0
Average 75.67 25.47 23.43 68.15 0.67 13.93 0 Kochi, out of the total 254 beaches surveyed, 51 beaches 0 Now, smart phone users who want to contribute to the
3
0
2
0
West Bengal
0
MAHARASHTRA were graded as very clean with green (<1 g/m2) colour, 1 environment may help by recording plastics seen in the
1
Andaman
0
7
1
3
Nicobar
Minimum 0 0.0286 0 0 0 0 0 122 beaches were graded as Clean and depicted by blue ocean. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)
Maximum 0.837 12.786 6.813 0.882 0.05 0.84 0 colour. Beaches of very clean grade (<1 g/m2) were found and National Centre for Coastal Research has recently
Average 0.17 3.08 0.45 0.04 0 0.08 0 launched ‘Marplasts’, a mobile application that
GUJARATH can track the plastics in the marine environment.
Minimum 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 This is part of the ongoing marine plastics
Maximum 173 76.3 143 124.4 0 113.8 0 study. M.A. Atmanand, director, NIOT said this
Average 23.1 12.62 24.44 20.04 0 10.35 0 would help in documentation of data and track
TAMIL NADU Plastics % analysis. “About 30- 40% of the marine plastics
Minimum 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 in the ocean are used fishing nets. We find that
Maximum 11.5 4.5 9 11 1.61 2.1 0 fishermen dump damaged nets in the Indian
Average 1.94 1.49 2.66 1.47 0.08 0.42 0 ocean region. The application would help other
ANDHRA PRADESH Kerala Goa Gujarat Odisha researchers to use such data for analysis,” he
Minimum 0 0.11 0 0 0 0.001 0 Karnataka Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Andra Pradesh West Bengal Lakshadweep Andaman Nicobar said. The application would allow users to record
Maximum 4.03 1.22 4.45 3.52 15 9.57 0 information on type of plastics, be it thermocol
Average 0.62 0.52 1.07 1.16 0.9 3.27 0 or fishing gear, latitude and longitude of the area
ODISHA Relative percentage of Plastics in beach debris where the marine debris was found, the category
Minimum 0 0.02 0 0 0 0 0 of marine debris and approximate weight.
Maximum 0.45 0.26 1.18 0 0.01 0.01 0 in Kerala (17), Maharashtra (12), Tamil Nadu (2), Andhra Photographs could also be uploaded along with
Average 0.08 0.08 0.15 0 0 0 0 Pradesh (4), Odisha (7) and West Bengal(3). Whereas the data. R. Venkatesan, scientist, NIOT said preliminary
WEST BENGAL extremely littered beaches (>100 g/m2) were found in study is on to record presence of marine plastics in
Minimum 0.003 0.15 0 0 0 0.15 0 Karnataka (13), Goa, Gujarat, and Andaman Island. With different locations of the ocean, off Chennai.
Maximum 0.017 0.47 0.598 0.66 0.11 0.59 0 reference to the coastal population and per capita share Information on beach debris from India are available from
Average 0.01 0.25 0.17 0.29 0.03 0.26 0 of beach debris, Goa registered highest values (40.97 kg/ various parts such as Nicobar Islands (Dharani et al., 2003),
ANDAMAN head) and the Odisha coast registered the lowest values Karnataka coast (Sridhar et al., 2009), northern Gulf of
Minimum 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (0.005 kg/head) Mannar (Ganesapandian et al., 2011), selected beaches
Maximum 10 91 33 50 10 10 0.5 of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (Kaladharan et al.,
Average 1.82 8.97 2.54 4.23 0.85 0.77 0.05 When the beach debris data were analysed by group, the
pattern of distribution of different groups in different 2012), some urban beaches in Mumbai (Jayasiri et al. ,
LAKSHADWEEP States/ UTs. Nylon nets/ fishing lines registered highest 2013) and Mangalore coast (Bindu et al., 2014). However
Minimum 0 1.01 0.23 0 0 0.093 0 mean (75.67 g/m2) in Goa and the lowest mean (0.01 g/ a comprehensive study of the beach debris in the country
Maximum 7.69 15.85 10.84 1.346 1.593 5.04 0 m2) in West Bengal. Similarly plastics comprising single has not been undertaken so far.
Average 1.61 4.37 3.07 0.47 0.19 1.26 0
use carry bags and sachets of soft drinks, edible oils, Samples were being lifted from locations, including, off
detergents, beverages, cases of cosmetics, toothpaste, Muttukadu. Various methodologies are being used to lift
PET bottles, ice cream containers etc., recorded highest
(150 g/m ) recorded from Karnataka. Discarded synthetic foot mean of 25.47 g/m2 from Goa coast and the lowest samples from varying depths such as mid-water column
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Fig. 3. Per capita share of beach debris among coastal population of
wears and plasto-foam slippers grouped under group ‘C’ Indian coastline and at a depth of 10 metres. The study would also analyse
the means of plastics reaching the ocean, including surface
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registered highest mean of 57.87 g/m from the beaches of from Odisha (0.08 g/m2), although maximum value of current. Sometimes, ships passing by could dump the
‘B’ was 150 g/m2) recorded from Karnataka. Discarded
Karnataka. Glass bottles as well as electric bulbs constituting synthetic foot wears and plasto-foam slippers registered plastics in the ocean, he said.
Electronic wastes ‘E’ such as parts of circuit chips, diodes,
‘D’ group, mostly of alcoholic beverages and aerated drinks highest mean of 57.87 g/m2 from the beaches of
computer and mobile hardware parts, CDs, parts of battery
also registered highest mean of 68.15 g/m from Goa although Karnataka. Glass bottles as well as electric bulbs mostly The mobile application would not only help the study
operated toys, button cells etc. registered the highest mean
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but also facilitate other researchers to analyse the data.
maximum values for D group was (650 g/m ) recoded from of alcoholic beverages and aerated drinks also registered The study has just started and it would take a few years
of 0.85 g/m from the Andamans although maximum values
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2
two beaches of Karnataka (Table 3). highest mean of 68.15 g/m2 from Goa. for complete analysis of marine plastics, scientists said.
of 15 g/m was reported from Andhra Pradesh. E-group debris
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22 Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India Vol. 59, No.1, Jan-Jun 2017 31 March 2019 Plastics News