Conservation of Wet Lands in Thane

8/13/2019 Conservation of Wet Lands in Thane

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/conservation-of-wet-lands-in-thane 1/8

Sengupta, M. and Dalwani, R. (Editors). 2008

Proceedings of Taal2007: The 12th World Lake Conference: 1635-1642

Conservation of Wetlands and Mangroves in Thane Creek and Ulhas River

Estuary, India

Vinay S. Nikam1, Arun Kumar2, Kamal Lalla3 and Kapil Gupta 4

1 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

2

Alternate Hydro Energy Centre , Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-2476673 Thane Municipal Corporation, Thane –400601

4 Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 400076

ABSTRACT

There has been a steady decrease in the area occupied by wetlands in Creeks and Estuaries adjacenturban areas due to unprecedented urban growth in coastal cities, for example Thane Creek and Ulhas

River Estuary near Mumbai, India. Urban cities serve as centres of employment and attract a largenumber of migrants from other places. In case of coastal cities, due to inadequate infrastructure,

wastewater and solid waste is disposed into wetlands and Estuary. Discharge of sediments and solidwaste into the Creeks from drains and construction activities have resulted in decreased current velocity

and depth in the coastal waters of Thane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary. Various researchers have

studied individual elements of Thane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary at micro level. However a holisticapproach for restoration and conservation of the Creek and Estuary is required. This paper presents the

details of an integrated approach incorporating different conservation measures such as sewerage andsewage treatment, urban drainage management, solid waste management, mangrove plantation and

dredging.

Keywords: Wetlands, Estuary, Conservation plan, Integrated approach.

INTRODUCTION

Thane Creek [Lat. 19000’ to 19

015’ N and Long.

72055’00’’E to 73

000’E ] and Ulhas River Estuary

[Lat. 18045’ to 19000’ N and Long. 72045’00’’E to73

020’E ] located adjacent to the cities of Mumbai

and Thane in the state of Maharashtra, India areconnected through a narrow and shallow channel.Thane Creek is amongst largest marine bodies in an

enclosed area in India. It separates Mumbai and partof Thane city from the main land of India. There isan excessive demand for space in the island toaccommodate increased population resulting indestruction of mangroves through reclamation ofwetlands.

Recent water quality analysis of the ThaneCreek and Ulhas River Estuary has shown increasingevidence of pollution due to anthropogenicdischarges from the surrounding areas. It has beenidentified that the creek stretch between Balkum toVitawa has become a dead zone (Thane Municipal

Corporation, 2006). The various contributing sourcesof pollution has been identified in the study are

shown in Fig. 1.Earlier studies for example, Jha, et al.(1999),

Zingde (1999) and Samant (2002) examined ThaneCreek and Ulhas River Estuary at micro level.However, these studies have addressed individualaspects. An integrated catchment based approach

with participatory management required forrestoration and conservation of the Creek andEstuary is described in this study.

Quality Issues Related to Thane Creek and Ulhas

River Estuary

There has been gradual decrease in the amount ofD.O. in Thane Creek since 1981 as shown in Table 1.The depth profile of Hg and Ni clearly showsevidence of continuous inputs of Hg and Ni

(Jha,1999). Increase in Pb and Hg in the surfacialsediments of Ulhas Estuary and bioaccumulation ofFe, Zn and Pb in polychates was more in ThaneCreek as compared to Mahim and Versova Creek(Zingde ,1999).

The monthly fish catch from Thane Creekshowed 68 percent reduction in 1992-93 compared to

1981-82, whereas in 1999-2000 it has become anoccasional activity of 4 percent compared to 1981-82(Goldin, 2003).

Loss in wetland area in Thane Creeksurrounding Digha and Mankhurd is estimated as103.2 ha and 343.18 ha, respectively after 1990.(Samant,2002 ). In 1981-82 mangroves occupied an

area of about 25 ha which reduced to 15ha in 1992-93 and to 9 ha in 1999-2000 ( Goldin, 2003).



Figure 1. Location of Thane, Ulhas River and Thane Creek.

Table 1. Dissolved Oxygen levels of Thane Creek since 1981

Parameter 1981(Zingde, 1981)

1989

(Sahu, 1991)91-923 Vitawa area

(Mishra, 1994 )

Sept 2001- Aug 02

(Athalye, 2003) Nov 2001(Athalye, 2003)

2005(Nikam,

2006)

D.O.(mg/l)

Surface-4.64Bottom- 4.89

1.98-4.56 0.9-2.2 0.68-5.0(2.05)

1.17 0 – 1.80

Figure 2. Water sample location. Figure 3. Sediment sample location.

Navi Mumbai

Kalyan

Ulhas River

Thane Creek

Mumbai

Mira Bhayandar

Thane

1636



The Thane Creek has very low assimilating capacityand wastewater disposed through the primarytreatment units and nalla is not getting flushed totally(NEERI 2002). Reduction in effective waterway

below is observed during the survey conducted in2005. It is also observed that at the confluence of

Thane Creek and Ulhas River, the basin of the ThaneCreek is constricted. Also, the geometry is such thatwater from Thane Creek is not dischargingefficiently into Ulhas River during low tides.

Present Study

In the present study, water and sediment quality of

both water bodies have been studied during 8th to 16

th

November 2006. A total of 120 water samples and 44sediment samples were collected from Thane Creekand Ulhas River Estuary as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig.3 respectively

Water quality

Physico-chemical properties of Thane Creek andUlhas River Estuary have been summarised in Table2.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Poor water quality has been observed in the inner portion of the Creek upto Airoli bridge. Fig. 4 showsall samples collected from the middle of the Creekfrom Vashi bridge to Balkum has DO values less

than the prescribes standards of 4 mg/l (SW II ) byCentral Pollution Control Board. Average DO values

of the samples collected from the center of the Creek between Balkum to Kalwa bridge, Kalwa bridge toAiroli bridge and Airoli bridge to Vashi bridge are

0.9 mg/l, 2.2 mg/l and 3.1 mg/l, respectively. Thisshows deterioration of water quality in the inner portion of the Creek. Samples collected from Vashi

bridge to Belapur meets the standards as depicted inFig.4, and this possibly due to good flushingcapacity. Fig. 5 shows that all water samples

collected from the Thane Creek edge does not meetthe standard.

DO values for Ulhas River are depicted inFig.6. Samples collected from the Kalyan area hasDO less than the prescribes standards of 4 mg/l (SWII) during low tide. The samples collected from

Dombivali to Vasai bassein marginally satisfy thestandards. Samples collected along the edge of the

Estuary do not meet the standard.

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

BOD is the indicator of biodegradable pollution.BOD values for Thane Creek center and Ulhas River

Estuary are depicted in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 respectively.BOD values indicate that inner portion of both water bodies are heavily polluted with the BOD valuesexceeding the standard of 3 mg/l (SW II) in almost100 percent samples collected from edge and center.

Sediment Study

In present study 33 sediments samples from Thane

Creek and 10 from Ulhas River Estuary werecollected.

Table 2. Physico-chemical properties of Thane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary water

Thane Creek Ulhas River EstuaryParameter

Balkum to

Kalwa bridge

Kalwa bridge to

Airoli bridge

Airoli bridge to

Vashi bridge

Vashi Bridge to

Belapur

Balkum to

Vasai

Kalyan to

Balkum

pH 7.1-7.9

(7.5)

7.1-7.8

(7.5)

7.1-7.4

(7.2)

7.3-7.6 6.2-7.8

(7.0)

7.4 – 8.0

(7.73)

DO (mg/l) 0-1.8

(0.9)

0-3.6

(2.2)

1-4.8

(3.1)

3.2-6.0

(5.1)

3.8-5.8

(5.1)

3.4 – 4.6

( 4.03 )

BOD

(mg/l)

3.6-6.0

(4.8)

3-5.4

(4.1)

3-5.6

(4.1)

4.8-7.0

(5.5)

3-12

(5.1)

7.34–13.36

(9.61)

NO3-N (mg/l) 0.4-0.8

(0.57)

0.33-0.83

(0.5)

0.19-0.53

(0.3)

0.48-0.72

(0.7)

0.162-0.901

(0.414)

PO4-N (mg/l) 0.213-0.483

(0.377)

0.132-0.482

(0.2)

0.041-0.862

(0.2)

0.158-0.304

(0.2)

0.025-0.126

(0.070)

Suspended

Solids (mg/l)

20-50

(30.8)

20-50

(30.0)

10-40

(22.3)

10-40

(21.7)

1637



0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

D i w a l y a B r i d g e

S o u t h o f s e

a w o o d s N a l l a I

S e a w o o d s I I

A t S e a w o o d s

N e a r

I N S C h a n a k y a .

K a r a v e

. + 7 k m

V a s h i

b r i d e t o p a n v e l

. + 5 k m V a s h i


. 2 k m V a s h i


N e a r V a s h i b r i d g e

. + 1 . 5

k m V a s h i

b r i d g e t o a i r o l i

G h a t k o p a r

V i k h r o l i 1

K o p a r k h a i r a n e

V i k h r o l i n a l a 2

B h a n d u p

T a l a w a l i r a b o d i m i d c

A i r o l i c r e e k

A i r o l i p o w

e r h o u s e C r e e k

D i g h a c r e e k

I n d a l M u k u n d c r e e k

K a l w a b r i d g e c r e e k

M a n i s h a n a g a r c r e e k

S a k e t c r e e k

B a l k u m c r e e k

Location

p p m

DO DO lower limit BOD upper limit BOD

Figure 4. DO and BOD levels at Thane Creek center

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Location

p p m

DO DO lower limit BOD upper limit BOD

Figure 5. DO and BOD levels at the Thane Creek edge (Vashi to Balkum)

1638



1639

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Location

p p m

DO mg/l BOD mg/l DO low er limit mg/l BOD upper limit mg/l

Figure 6. DO and BOD at the center of Ulhas river estuary

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

Sampling stat ion

O r g a n i c c o n t e n t , p e r c e

n t

Figure 7. Organic content present in Sediments of Thane Creek

Organic Content

Organic content present in the sediments of ThaneCreek and Ulhas River Estuary is show in Fig. 7 andFig. 8, respectively. The portion between Balkum toAiroli high organic content is observed as comparedto rest of the part of Thane Creek reflect the impact

domestic sewage disposal. In Ulhas River Estuaryhigh organic content are observed from Kolshet to

Wagbil. High organic content was observed insediment samples collected from Wagbil and Kolshet

nalla at the edge of Ulhas River Estuary.

Nitrates and Phosphates

Nitrates and Phosphates present in sediments of

Thane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary are shown inFig. 9 and Fig. 10, respectively. High nitrates values



are observed from Bhandup to Ghatkopar for ThaneCreek and Bhayandar and Kolshet area for UlhasRiver Estuary, which are prone to the disposal ofdomestic waste.

High phosphates levels in sediments areobserved at Ghatkopar, Vashi and area between

Kalwa bridge to Balkum for Thane Creek. Sedimentcollected from Rabodi nalla Creek edge has shown

higher phosphates values as compared to the rest ofthe samples collected from Thane Creek.

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals viz: zinc, chromium , cadmium and

copper content are traced in following location

101214

1618202224262830

A i r f o r c e

s t a t i o n

N a l l a

W a g h b i

n a l l a 2

K o l s h e t

n a l l a 1

V e r s o v a

n a l l a

G h o d b u n d e r

n a l l a

M i r a r o a d

n a l a 1

M i r a r o a d

n a l l a 2

M i r a r o a d

n a l l a 3

B h a y a n d a r

n a l l a 1

B h a y a n d a r

n a l l a 2

Sampling station

O r g a n i c c o

n t e n t , p e r c e n t

Figure 8. Organic content present in Sediments of Ulhas River Estuary

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

B a l k u m N a l l a

S a k e t N a l l a

O p p o s i t e

R a b o d i N a l l a

R a b o d i N a l l a

N a l l a f r o m

M a n i s h a n a g a r

M e g h a l e

B e h i n d S T

T h a n e

C u s t o m

K o p a r i S T P

V i t a w a n a l l a

I n d a l M u k u n d

D i g h a n a l l a

A i r o l i p o w e r

M h a d a

A i r o l i n a l l a

A i r o l i N a l l a

T a l a w a l i -

B h a n d u p

G h a n s o l i

W a g b i l n a l l a

K o p a r k h a i r n e

V i k r o l i N a l l a

J u i g a o n N a l l a

G h a t k o p a r

V i k r o l i N a l l a

C h e m b u r

V a s h i G a o n

N e r u l N a l l a

K a r a w e

S e a w o o d s

Sampling stat ion

g m / k g

Nitrat e (gm/Kg) Phosphate (gm/Kg)

Figure 9. Nitrates and phosphates present in sediments of Thane creek

Thane Creek edge Saket, Rabodi, Manishanagar, Meghale, Custom office nalla, Kopari STP outlet ,Indal Mukund nalla, Mhada colony nalla , Nerul nalla, Karawe nalla, Seawoods nalla

and near Uran bridge

Ulhas River Estuary edge Airforce station nalla, Wagbil nalla, Miraroad nalla, Bhayandar nalla

1640



00.020.040.06

0.080.1

0.120.140.160.180.2

A i r f o r c e

s t a t i o n

N a l l a

W a g h b i

n a l l a 2

K o l s h e t

n a l l a 1

V e r s o v a

n a l l a

G h o d b u n d e r

n a l l a

M i r a r o a d

n a l a 1

M i r a r o a d

n a l l a 2

M i r a r o a d

n a l l a 3

B h a y a n d a r

n a l l a 1

B h a y a n d a r

n a l l a 2

Sampling station

g m / K g

Nitrate (gm/Kg) Phosphate (gm/Kg)

Figure 10. Nitrates and phosphates present in sediments of Ulhas river estuary

ACTIONS PROPOSED

A holistic approach is required while planning themitigation measures to conserve mangroves and

wetland. Thane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary is toconsider as whole while planning the mitigation

measures. Various organisations are in charge ofareas adjacent to both water bodies namely,Municipal Corporation of Grater Mumbai, ThaneMunicipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal

Corporation, Kalyan Dombivali MunicipalCorporation, Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation,

Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, City andIndustrial Development Corporation MaharashtraMaritime Board (MMB), State Government, Ministryof Environment and Forest, Department of OceanDevelopment. The success of the conservation programme depends upon an integrated operational

strategy of the various agencies.The various mitigation measures proposed for TMCand extent of their implementation is described below.

Sewerage Scheme

TMC is implementing an Underground Sewerage

Network and Treatment Project of amountingRs.427.93 Crores under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) of Governmentof India, to conserve Thane Creek and Ulhas River

Estuary. Project components are: laying of sewerlines, installation of pumping stations, upgradation of

existing STP and construction of new decentralisedSTP’s, and low cost sanitation system. The sewagetreatment plants are designed taking intoconsideration of the assimilative capacity of theThane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary. Four sewage

treatment plants of total capacity 290 Mld are proposed as under:i) Up gradation of existing STP at

Kopari and augmentation of its 120 Mldii) capacity from 54 MLD (existing)

to 120 MLDiii) New STP at Kharegaon 100 Mldiv) New STP for Mumbra – Kausa area 25 Mldv) New STP for northern part along Ghodbunder

road 40 Mld Total 294 Mld

Solid Waste Management

Measures are taken to prevent the disposal of solidwaste along the banks of water bodies. TMC hasacquired a land at Diaghar scientific land fill site.

TMC has proposed to install and operate four wasteEPS and waste plastic melting machine throughsocial organisation.

Mangroves plantation

Mangrove plantation drive is already started by

TMC, under which One lakhs mangroves are likelyto be planted.

Dredging and Basin Canalisation

It is necessary to increase the flushing capacity of theCreek, which can be done by dredging the basin in proper manner. Area under the bridge is proposed toclean to increase waterway.

Rainwater Harvesting

TMC has made mandatory to all new construction projects to implement rain water harvesting, whichwill reduce the runoff quantity.

Public Participation and Awareness

For successful implementation of conservation program it is necessary to involve public at various

1641



stages viz planning, implementation and postimplementation stage. Awareness program acts as acatalyst, which trigger the sentiments of the citizenstowards the Creek and Estuary. TMC is regularly

conducting awareness programs on various occasionsuch World Water Day, Environmental Day, etc.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper has presented the current status of pollution in Thane Creek and Ulhas River Estuary.The measures being undertaken by Thane Municipal

Corporation have also been presented. A thoroughunderstanding of the ecosystem and integrated

approach towards planning, utilization andmanagement of resources, participation of variousstakeholders with an integrated efforts is needed toconserve the wetlands and mangroves of ThaneCreek and Ulhas River Estuary.

REFERENCES

Athalye, R.P., Patil, N.N., Borkar, M.U., Quadros, G., and

Somani V.U: (2003). Studies of Flora, IntertidalMacrobenthic Fauna and Fishery of Ulhas River and

Thane Creek to assess the pollution status and decidemitigation strategy. B.N. Bandodkar college of

Science Project report submitted to MumbaiMetropolitan Region –Environment ImprovementSociety, Maharashtra Metropolitan Development

Authority, Mumbai.Goldin, Q., (2003). Determination of Thane Creek

Ecosystem near Thane City Over Past 20 Years.

Sesheiyana, 2:6-7.

Jha, S.K, Krishnamurthi,T.M., Pandit, G.G. and Nambai,K.S.V., (1999). History of Accumulation of Mercuryand Nickel in Thane Creek, Mumbai, Using 210 Pb

Dating Technique. The Science of Total

Environment , 236;91-99.Mishra,V., Goldin, Q., Ullal, Q.V., Gokhale, K.S., and

Athalye, R.P., (1994). Sea Anemone, Accotiactis

Gokhaleae as Biofouler in the Mangrove Mudflatsalong Thane Creek. Mahasagar-Bulletin of National

Institute of Oceanography, 27(1): 73-78.

NEERI, (2002). Determination of Assimilative Capacity ofThane Creek.

Nikam, V.S.,(2006). Conservation of Thane Creek andUlhas River Estuary. M.Tech Thesis, Indian Instituteof Technology, Roorkee.

Samant, H.P., (2002). Quantifying Mangrove CoverChange in and around Mumbai using Satellite Data.

Proceedings of the National Seminar on Creeks,Estuaries and Mangroves - Pollution andConservation, 28th to 30th November, Thane, pp

334-337.

Sahu, K.C. and Bhosale,U., (1991). Heavy Metal PollutionAround the Island City of Bombay, India. Part II:Quantification of Heavy Metal Pollution of aquatic

Sediments and Recognition of EnvironmentalDiscriminants. Chemical Geology, 90:263-283.

Thane Municipal Corporation, (2006). Report onconservation of Thane Creek and Ulhas RiverEstuary.

Zingde, M.D. and Desai. B.N., (1981) .Mercury in ThaneCreek , Bombay Harbour. Marine Pollution Bulletin,12 (7): 237-241.

Zingde, M.D., (1999). Marine pollution- Where are weHeading For? IN: Somayajalu, Blk (Ed) Ocean

Science Trends and Future Direction. Indian NationalScience Academy, New Delhi, 294-246.

1642

Conservation of Wet Lands in Thane

Documents

Transcript of Conservation of Wet Lands in Thane