The concerning effect of today’s India is ballast water. There. are several laws and regulations regarding ballast water whose aim is to manage ballast water. Due to ballast water, several harmful species have transported into India which have caused massive irregulation in water bodies. The government use a high amount of money to clear all these. Now the question arises what is the ballast water.
A cargo ship need to be stable for transportation certain level of immersion should be there, when a cargo ship loads equipment ,the ballast water is pumped out of the ship and when a ship discharges cargo, ballast water is poured inside the ship. During this procedure, transfer of invasive species occur which cause harm to equatic plants and animals.
Source:Asian Sealand
How serious is the problem ?
According to evaluation in India, scientist have recorded that nearly 30 invasive species gets landed from ballast water. The most harmful till date is the Charru mussel , Mytella Rigata . This mussel has replaced almost all other species as it’s survival rate and egg reproduction is very high. It can even survive in freshwater. There is a lake in TamilNadu which is known as Pulicat Lake and another lake that is Asthamodi Lake which is in Kerala in which these mussels have replaced almost all the other species .
GLOBAL REGULATIONS:
1. The Merchant Shipping (Amendment)Act , 2014:
This act was amended after 1958 which mandates that the ships should comply with blast water management practices so that spread of harmful aquatic organisms can be prevented. It also states that the ballast water should be filtrated before using it. This act ensures the changes that need to be done according to the present time. Certain other changes were made but still the progress was not clear.
2. Ballast Water Management Rules:
This rule comply with BWM convention and provide the requirements for the treatment and exchange of ballast water .It is mandatory for all ships to have the ballast water management plan and also to keep record of it. It is necessary to keep the track as it will help them to maintain the guidelines and rules.
Source:Marine Insight
3. Compliance with IMW Regulations:
According to report, India is bound to follow international standards for ballast water management. This required to meet certain ballast water discharge standard by treating the ballast water before discharge so that harmful organisms can be removed.
The most serious water ballast damaging situation has been seen in Australia and New Zealand as Australia is the major supplier of pool and iron and the other material where most water ballast pumping out take place in the ports which make it further a challenging for other ships for the spread of this invasive Australia is the home of ecological sensitive area such as Great Barrier Reef which also makes it as positioned one.
There are certain laws and regulations provided to merchant shipping to follow. This will all prevent certain problems in which government had to pay a lot. Being a responsible Indian, one should always try to follow all these regulations.
