The study "Unravelling the land-based discharge of microplastics from sewers to oceans," which was published in the journal, Science of The Total Environment, looks at the worrying amount of microplastics found in Panjim’s wastewater.
The findings are concerning with microplastic concentrations in wastewater samples from various locations in Panjim ranging from 79 ± 20.7 to 338±7.1 ±7.1 particles per liter.
Notably, fibrous black particles comprised a staggering 60.2% of the total microplastics identified. Researchers Chayanika Rathore, Aniket Desai, Priyansha Gupta, and Akshata Naik from the NIO and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, were part of the research team, which was headed by principal scientist Dr. Mahua Saha from the CSIR- NIO's department of chemical oceanography.
Jacob de Boer of Vrije University in the Netherlands and Haritha Yespal Subha from the department of marine chemistry at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies also worked together on the project. The research identifies important shortcomings in the current wastewater treatment technologies, which frequently fall short of eliminating all smaller microplastics (less than 1 mm) during the processing phase. These particles consequently find their way into coastal waters, posing a threat to both human health and marine ecosystems.
Thirty-five distinct synthetic material types were found in the wastewater, including standard sources such as polyacrylamide (PAM), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyamide (PA). These microplastics are a byproduct of common products like synthetic textiles and personal hygiene products.
All wastewater sites had polymer hazard indices that were alarmingly rated at PHI >10,000, indicating significant risks to aquatic life and the food chain. This emphasizes how the ecosystem of the river could collapse, which could have an effect on the entire food chain.