Water is the driving force of nature. Where there’s no water there’s no life. Every organism in the universe needs water for their survival. Humans need water for various purposes including drinking, cooking, washing, transport, recreational activities, agriculture, hydro power, etc. Have you ever known that there’s standards for the water we consume for our daily needs?
Water is easily contaminated with harmful substances. Even the clearest water we obtain from springs may contain numerous microorganisms. Although many of them are not harmful, it is essential to monitor water regularly in order to prevent water contaminations as the harmful microorganisms and other contaminants will create many health problems. Even sea water needs constant monitoring to keep up with the standards .The quality of sea water around the Sri Lankan coast is important for several reasons. They are,
01. The health of the public swimming in those beaches and for those who are involved in water sports.
02. Detection of pollution within the environment.
03. Providing information to the aquaculture industry.
The MEPA is responsible for constant monitoring of sea water as a part of the Bathing Water Directive. This includes beach water sample collection, laboratory analysis and data management. The Beach Monitoring Program covers 40 beaches in 14 different districts. All beaches are monitored once per month. In addition to those beaches identified within the Bathing Water Directive, we have added several sea outfalls to the sampling program.
During each beach monitoring visit, beach water samples are collected where the water depth is between thigh to waist depth i.e., about 1 meter depth. The water samples are delivered to our laboratory for analysis of Fecal Coliform bacteria, and physical measurements of pH, salinity, conductivity, and turbidity, as soon as sampling is completed and are stored at about 4°C during transportation. Dissolved oxygen concentration and temperature of the beach water are measured in-situ at each of the beaches and observations such as weather and beach conditions are also recorded.
After conducting these monitoring programs regularly, at the end of each year, MEPA Laboratory develops an annual water quality report and annual water quality index report from the above information for the public’s awareness. With these constant monitoring of the quality of sea water, we, the MEPA, prevent the coastal zone and territorial waters from pollution and ensure the health of all those who are engaged in swimming or sea related recreational activities.
