Bhubaneswar: Using polluted water for domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural purposes, including fish and aquaculture farms can be hazardous to public health, opined experts in a seminar titled ‘Pollution of Coastal and Inland Waters,’ organised by Orissa Environmental Society (OES) here recently. The programme was held under the chairmanship of the OES president Sundar Narayan Patro.
A former professor of department of Naval Architecture at IIT Kharagpur Suresh Chandra Misra attended as the chief speaker. Misra explained that polluted water is harmful to public health and its use in domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors is detrimental. “Pollutants are mostly carried through the river system, which includes, wastes from shipping operations, leaked oil, discarded fishing nets, microplastics and industrial and commercial wastes,” he said. “These waste products are illegally dumped into the river channels without carrying out proper treatment procedures. If precautionary measures are not taken immediately, the entire living world will face the disastrous consequences of water pollution in future,” Misra warned. Patro, in his speech, laid emphasis on preventing water pollution without affecting the process of development which is the need of the hour.
In his welcome speech, OES secretary Jayakrushna Panigrahi said that the increase in pollution of water resources is due to a lack of awareness and sensitivity in society, which leads to several serious health hazards, including cancer. “Life is intensely dependent on natural resources and all living organisms need water for survival. However, changes in lifestyle through industrialisation, increased use of automobiles, advancements in technology and many other factors have led to an increase in production processes, which ultimately affect the natural resources,” Panigrahi added.
