Creek pollution story

Thane: The rains that lashed the city definitely brought some relief to the residents, but have flooded the creek with tonnes of solid waste, chemicals and waste flushed from drains across the city.
There is a continuous flow of untreated sewage water in addition to sludge, garbage, plastic and even rotten carcasses of rodents. The growing waste has been choking the roots of the sea-side mangrove and filling the fishermen's nets.
"The mangroves that guard the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have as much as 2,000 tonnes of garbage choking their roots.Though these plants have the ability to purify the chemical pollution and acidity levels in the waters, they cannot do so if they are chocked with plastic and other waste," said Stalin D, director of NGO Vanashakti.
"Post rains, the rubbish from the massive drainages has been continuously entering the creek. We rarely go fishing these days because of the rough waters, but whenever we do, we get lots of waste in the nets. At times, sharp objects like glass, metals get caught in our nets tearing them," said Rajesh Kharkar, a fisherman from Kalwa.
A recent research study conducted by the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) revealed that the 58 of the 69 fish and crab species have become extinct in the 26-km-long Thane creek in the past 14 years due to high levels of toxins in the contaminated water.
"This is the breeding season for fishes, they lay eggs in the mangrove roots and wetlands, all of which is now filled with waste now. The plastic waste can even choke the gills of fish," said Prasad karnik, president of NGO Paryavaran Dakshata Manch.
R P Athalye, a city-base environmentalist and a member of SACON added, "The untreated waste that is released into the creek has reduced the oxygen level in the water, thus affecting the biodiversity ."
Some environmentalists believe that the only way to rid the creek of pollution is by implementing a complete ban on plastic, thermacol and other non-biodegradable wastes.