Page 1 of 13

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 11

December 2015

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 652

An Analysis of Marine Pollution: Danger to Coastal

Inhabitants in Kanyakumari District

* Dr.Sr.S.Sahayaselvi

*Assistant Professor of the Department of Commerce, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), Roch

Nagar, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari District, TamilNadu, South India.

Abstract

The short-sightedness policy of economy,

commerce, and production inject the slow

poison to people, flora and fauna in the

name of pollution. The gravest effects of all

attacks on the environment are suffered by

the poorest especially in case of marine

pollution; it is the fisherfolk of any country.

Fishermen who are considered to be

marginalized and backward in all aspects- socio, economic, educational, cultural and

even political suffer a lot due to marine

pollution in terms of health and loss of fish

stock. Therefore this paper is an eye opener

for the readers to know that how far marine

pollution bring havoc in the life of the

coastal inhabitants and bring danger to

their livelihood. Results from 225 sample

respondents indicate that how the marine

water is polluted due to domestic and

industrial sewage water and bring danger to

fishermen community in the form of health

hazards. This paper too offers few

suggestions to the government and the well

wishers of the fishermen to take care of

marine sea with far sightedness which

protects the life of quarter of the world’s

population lives on the coast or nearby and

that the majority of our megacities are

situated in coastal areas .Otherwise14.47

million fishermen may be washed up and

peril in the marine pollution.

Keywords: Marine pollution, Coastal

inhabitants, Environmental diseases, Coastal

Erosion.

INTRODUCTION

The earth’s resources are being

plundered because of short-sighted

approaches to the economy, commerce and

production. Each year hundreds of millions

of tons of waste are generated, much of it

non-biodegradable, highly toxic and

radioactive from homes and businesses,

from construction and demolition sites, from

clinical, electronic and industrial sources. As

Page 2 of 13

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 11

December 2015

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 653

a result the earth is beginning to look more

and more like an immense pile of filth.

Marine sea is no way exempted to this. Like

the earth, the marine sea is polluted to

greater extent due to throw away culture. As

per the survey of Central Marine Fisheries

Research Institute-2014 that the scientists

discovered giant garbage patch swirling in

the Indian Ocean. The patch containing

plastics, chemical sludge and other debris,

indicated the amount of waste that makes its

way into the ocean. The United Nations

Environment programme, South Asian

report states that waters are at the highest

risk of sewage pollution. Most people living

along its Coasts do not have basic sanitation

facilities. Every year the south Asian waters

receive more than four billion litres of

sewage, most of which is untreated. The Bay

of Bengal alone receives 2000 tonnes of

pesticides a year. Industrial activities along

the South Asian Coast and oil spills from

refineries and shipping activities add to this

pollution burden. Though composition of

these pollutants may vary from region to

region, depending on the activities, they

broadly include oil, dissolved and suspended

solids nitrate, ammonia and inorganic

phosphates and toxic metals such as

mercury, lead, Zinc and Copper. Sewage

continues to be a major concern for India. Its

Coastal district generates 4067 million litres

of domestic sewage a day. 80 per cent of this

makes its way to the sea. The marine

pollution directly affects the ocean

organisms and indirectly affects human

health and resources. As per the statistical

report of National Institute of Oceanography

the coastal pollution in India stems from

population growth, urbanization, agriculture

and industrialization, all of which release a

wide range of pollutants into the ocean each

year. A large and growing part of the

population now lives close to coasts. The

threats posed to coastal populations and

infrastructure by rising sea levels and

extreme events such as storm surges. There

is an urgent need for action now in order to

limit the adverse effects of climate change

upon ecosystems and human society.

Coastal erosion happens primarily as a result

of sea level rise, intense storm action, and

changed or more intensive wave action. The

natural processes of erosion are aggravated

by the human-induced changes to the

Environment. Several coastal villages

experience an increase in the intensity of

erosion which leads to loss of long stretches

of coastline and damage to properties

Page 3 of 13

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 11

December 2015

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 654

annually. Erosion of the shoreline has

reduced space for living and for fisheries,

stalinized freshwater sources, and increased

population pressure in the locality.

STATEMENT OF THE

PROBLEM

Consumerism, Materialism and throw

away culture pollute the marine environment

and all the living beings. Marine pollution

deteriorates the health of the fishermen as

well as coastal environment. Fishermen, in

general solely depend upon the sea for their

livelihoods are tremendously affected due to

domestic, industrial sewage, toxin and

chemical particles which reduces the fish

stock as well as it harms the species in the

sea. Fishermen in general are very poor and

live in abject poverty are vulnerable to

coastal environment. Moreover, the coastal

inhabitants are exposed to both manmade

and natural calamities. Tsunami -2004

brought major havoc in the life of the

fishermen and changed the environmental

situation in the coastal belt. Moreover the

sea is polluted by dumping garbage and

immersing the pollutants like plastic, e- waste and other degradable substances. This

is turn affects the livelihood of the

fishermen. It is sad to note that due to

pollution the fish production in the sea is

diminishing to the certain extent. Hence the

fishermen always cross the border of other

states or country to catch fish which brings

the conflict among the fishermen

community itself. This is the main cause for

the fishermen to remain at the ebb of the

social rung. At this juncture, numbers of

questions arise in the mind of the researcher,

like what are the impacts of the pollution in

the marine water? What are the

consequences the respondents face due to

pollution in the sea? In which way the

pollution can be controlled? Is there any

relationship between pollution and health

hazards? To find fitting answers to these

problems this study has been undertaken.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The general objective of the paper is

to analyze the coastal environmental

pollution and its danger to the coastal

inhabitants in the study area. The following

are the specific objectives

 To measure the factors that

contributes to marine

pollution in the sea.