Vizag beach sand turns black; citizens blame sewage pollution

Patches of sand that turned black at the RK beach in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
| Photo Credit: V. RAJU

The sand on RK Beach, opposite the AU Yoga Village in the city, has turned black, to the dismay of beachgoers. They expressed disappointment over the development and blamed the authorities for not taking steps to keep the beach clean and beautiful.

Locals, including morning walkers, visitors and vendors, have felt that the change in the colour of the beach sand could be due to sewage pollution coming through drainage canals that end at beach points.

Ruling out the possibility of mineral pollution causing the colour change, VSN Murthy, retired scientist of CSIR – National Institute of Oceanography, said: “Usually, black sand patches are found on the beach due to mineral deposits. This has been proven in coastal areas of States like Odisha and Kerala. But, in this particular Visakhapatnam coastal area, particularly along the RK beach, there are very few chances to say that the black sand is due to mineral deposits. Opaque minerals are responsible for black sand spots on beaches, but the deposits of those minerals are very low on the Visakhapatnam coast as per our observations.”

A walker, K. Praveen, said, “I noticed the beach sand turning black on Sunday (February 9). We usually see this kind of colour change on beach sand. There is no particular season.”

An ice cream vendor says there are several points on the beach where sewage flows directly into the sea. Sometimes, the water turns black as it contains silt and plastic. This could be the reason, he said.

E.N.V. Naresh Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and head of the Public Health Department said that they are currently working on measures like diverting drainage canals to sewage treatment plants along the coast.

“In the first phase, all the drainage canals along the coast from Coastal Battery to Tenneti Park will be diverted to the sewage treatment plant. Nearly 40 points have been identified from the Coastal battery to Bheemili beach”E.N.V. Naresh KumarChief Medical Officer, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation

“In the first phase, all the drainage canals along the coast from Coastal Battery to Tenneti Park will be diverted to the sewage treatment plant. Nearly 40 points have been identified from the Coastal battery to Bheemili beach,” Dr. Naresh Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam Port Authority Secretary T. Venugopal said that the Visakhapatnam Port Authority annually spends ₹120 crore on environmental mitigation measures. “It (VSP) releases the water after scientifically treating it in its specialised plants. The port is also now upgrading its existing water treatment plant by doubling its capacity. Sometimes, such black sand patches can be seen on the Bheemili side too, then it cannot be said that it is due to pollution from Visakhapatnam port,” he said.