Paradip, Jan. 23: The quality of sea water in the 80km stretch along the Dhamra-Paradip coastline is moderately clean and only slightly impacted by external and effluent agents, says a latest survey by the World Bank-funded coastal ecology surveillance and monitoring project.

The ecology surveillance unit carried out a scientific test of physio-chemical biological and sedimentary quality of the water drawn from the sea. Besides, seasonal variations of flora and fauna were tested in the laboratory as part of studying the coastal ecology.

The findings of the scientific study have pointed out that sea water in the particular stretch is moderately clean and only a small amount of effluents has been found.

"The study findings have not found any alarming feature that is detrimental to the coastal ecology of the Paradip-Dhamra sea coast. It is maintaining the ambient grade in sea water quality norm as compared to national and international standards," said nodal officer of the World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP) Anupam Behera.

"The coastal ecology project is the first of its kind being implemented in Odisha. The scientific study of the coastal ecology is being carried out under the stewardship of Odisha State Pollution Control Board researchers," he said.

The offshore and onshore monitoring of environmental coastal parameters is conducted at periodic intervals in monsoon, post-monsoon and summer. To enhance the capacity building of the project, an improvised vessel with inbuilt scientific laboratory is being pressed into service. The Rs 2-crore vessel will arrive in Paradip from Vishakhapatnam within a week. Besides a centre for surveillance and management of coastal ecology has come up at New Sandhakuda on the outskirts of Paradip.

The coastal ecology pilot project study along the 80km coastline here will continue till December and Odisha Pollution Control Board will carry forward the periodic ecology surveillance with the infrastructure provided to it under the pilot project.

The pollution watchdog has been dealing with air, water and environmental pollution. However, it was not earlier equipped with the mechanism to monitor the coastal ecology. The wetland sites and eco system of Bhitarkanika National Park have also come under the research surveillance purview of the Centre for Management of Coastal Eco-System.