As per report residents near Foreshore Estate in chennai, near the Adyar Estuary were in for a shock on friday, when the sea water began to froth as it reached the shore. Hence similar to scenes observed on the lakes of bengaluru, what seemed to be foam, flew onto the beach from the sea, leaving a bed of white pollutants behind, ut even as the city's residents expressed shock on social media over the occurrence, environmentalists tell TNM that this is a yearly phenomenon during the monsoons.
Furthermore the frothing occurs during the rainy season due to the presence of non-biodegradable and detergent like effluents coming from municipal and industrial wastes. pooja Kumar of the Coastal Resource Centre said “It is not necessary that there is an excess discharge of sewage. This phenomenon is a result of a volumetric increase of sewage as a result of dilution with rainwater. Rainwater also washes out various contaminants from the surfaces it touches, including roads, roof-tops and open earth".
Earlier there were multiple reports of foam forming thick blankets on the city's coast from ennore to Tiruvanmiyur. While the tamilnadu pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has collected samples from the frothing water every year, they are yet to release any information on the pollutants in the water and suggest an action plan to prevent it. Moreover Environmentalists, however, have pointed out in the past that the froth is a result of illegal outfalls along the Adyar river which are discharging sewage.
