Jewels From The Junkyard

Sea is a veritable treasure for natural
resources and drug-producing chemicals, reports Biplab Das 

Indian marine biologists have stumbled upon a vast storehouse of energy while looking for pollutants in the oceans. "They are called gas hydrates, the ice-like crystalline structures made of water and methane," said Harsh Gupta, secretary, ocean development department, Government of India. "They occur naturally at depths between 1,000 to 3,000 metres and are expected to double the total amount of fossil fuel reserves of the country." 

Gupta was delivering the second Bengal Science Lecture on 'Ocean Observation, Ocean Pollution and Gas Hydrates' at a seminar on 'Ocean Resources and Environment'. The seminar was jointly organised by School of Oceanographic Studies and the department of science and technology, West Bengal government. 

According to Gupta, one cubic metre of gas hydrate produces 164 cubic metres of methane gas along with 0.8 cubic metre of water. "To tap the vast energy resource of gas hydrates, the ocean department is busy in developing multi-sensor probes that will locate such hydrates," he said. The story began when the ocean department launched a programme called Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS) in 1991. The COMAPS is meant to monitor physical, chemical, biological and microbiological characteristics of water and sediments. "COMAPS is in operation at 82 locations along the coastal regions from West Bengal to Gujarat," said Gupta. The study also looks for heavy metals and pesticide residue accumulating in the marine organisms. 

"The primary source of pollution is domestic sewage and industrial wastes," Gupta pointed out. "Which is why experts are keeping an eye on estuaries and creeks, the meeting points of rivers and sea." 

Till date, data collected show sea water is more or less clean two km away from the coasts, except in Mumbai. "Off the Mumbai coast you won't find a clean sea until you've cruised five km," Gupta said. Creeks of Mumbai are contaminated with mercury, which has decimated marine life to a great extent. Elsewhere, high levels of lead and other heavy metals have been found in sea sediments near ports. 

Besides monitoring ocean pollution, the ocean department is using a host of sophisticated floating devices to predict weather and climate and locate natural resources. This is important for fishermen and coastal regions, which are frequently devastated by cyclones. "These devices measure wind speed, wave height and air pressure, vital parameters to predict weather," Gupta said. "Furthermore, these floats record temperature and salinity of sea water. So far, India has deployed 56 floats." 

Besides being a veritable treasure of natural resources, the sea is rich in chemicals that can churn out life-saving drugs. Some of the newly found sea-living bacteria can produce vitamins and nerve stimulating chemicals," said Dr. K. Venkateshvaran of the Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Versova, Mumbai. "Chemicals from seaweeds have shown promise in combating ulcer and cancer."