Coastal Morphodynamics and Environmental Variables of Ennore Creek: An Integrated Approach

Abstract

Creeks are coastal ecosystems and act as a habitat for flora and fauna which help to maintain biodiversity. The Ennore Creek located in North Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on the Southeast coast of India is the study area. The domestic wastes from Chennai City, industrial effluents from the industrial area, and coolant water from the Thermal Power Stations (NTPS) are disposed into Ennore Creek which affects the water quality of the creek. A survey is conducted to identify the major environmental issues faced by the creek. The temporal variation of creek mouth and water quality are the major environmental issues that pose threat to the economic and health well-being of the fisheries community. The creek mouth plays a role in diluting the concentration of pollutants before they are mixed with seawater carried in by the tides. The analysis of decadal variations of the creek mouth using remote sensing technique indicates that the width of the mouth varies between 32 and 223 m. The monthly variations of the shoreline changes around the creek are analysed during different months of the year 2014. The northern part of Ennore Creek is dominantly influenced by accretion and the southern part of the creek is predominantly influenced by erosion during pre-monsoon and vice versa during monsoon periods. The water quality parameters are evaluated at nine sampling locations, for the year 2014. The temporal variations of different water quality parameters, such as pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonium (NH₄) and total nitrogen (TN), are analysed using the samples. The sampling results show the water quality of the creek is affected which may affect the aquatic life.