CSIR Study Finds Healthy Marine Ecosystem Around Tata Chemicals' Mithapur Plant

An environmental study conducted by the CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI) in Bhavnagar has found that the marine ecosystem around Tata Chemicals Limited's treated wastewater discharge point at Mithapur, in Gujarat's Gulf of Kutch, remains healthy, stable and productive.

The assessment covered water and sediment quality, marine biology, vegetation and bird populations within a 10-kilometre radius of the discharge point, and was carried out as part of the biennial monitoring required under the approval for the treated wastewater discharge pipeline project. Field studies were conducted in December 2025 and May 2026, with the report released in August 2026.

Water and sediment quality parameters were found to be within natural ranges, with local marine conditions influenced mainly by natural marine and tidal processes rather than the discharge. The study recorded 637 birds from 40 species, including migratory birds that use the Central Asian Flyway; the sampling location closest to the discharge point recorded the highest bird abundance, including around 250 Greater Flamingos, and the mudflats around Mithapur continued to support feeding activity for several bird species.

Mangrove vegetation, mainly the species Avicennia marina, was assessed as healthy and continues to provide habitat and help stabilise the shoreline. The plankton community recorded 22 phytoplankton species and 23 zooplankton species, indicating a diverse marine food chain, while seawater parameters including pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen demand were found to be within ranges typical of a healthy coastal marine environment. Diversity indices for the vegetation communities showed no evidence of environmental degradation in the assessed area.

The report is the first submitted under the ongoing monitoring framework for the treated wastewater discharge pipeline. CSIR-CSMCRI, based in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, works in marine ecology, salt technologies and environmental monitoring, and is an accredited testing laboratory under the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.