Impact of Thermal Effluents on seaweed bed of Tuticorin Bay

The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP) of FAO defines marine pollution as “the introduction by man, directly or indirectly of substances or energy into marine environment including estuaries which resuits in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine activities including fishing, impairment of quality for use of seawater and reduction of amenities". Thermal (heat) is one of the seven m ajor categories of environmental pollutant. Thermal pollution is “any change in natural water temperature that adversely affects the aquatic environment". Thermal power plant may contribute significantly towards economic growth but they may bring associated ills of environmental pollution. The largest single industrial use of water is for cooling purposes and vast quantities of water heated in this way are discharged into natural bodies of water. The main sources of thermal effluents from thermal power stations are; cooling water, wastewater from water treatment plants and condenser cleaners, wastewater contaminated with petroleum products sucii as oil and grease, water from hydraulic ash disposal system and water collected inside the territory of the power stations. Therm al pollution due to cooling water, wastewater and fly ash slurry discharges are bound to have detrimental effects on the hydrography of the receiving waters