WASTEWATER FISH AND AGRICULTURAL FARMING

Rahara farm near Barrackpore (West Bengal) has embarked on a mission, which if adopted throughout the country, could prove revolutionary in treating polluted water. Set up by the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, it looks like any other green, picturesque farm. Rahara however breeds fish and grows vegetables with untreated wastewater. The costs of this farming are a fraction of what commercial farming requires. The products are as safe and tasty as any conventionally irrigated farm. Wastewater is actually rich in nutrients and highly favorable for phytoplanktons (fish food). Water hyacinths are employed to bring down the toxicity levels of the water. The farm has successfully bred bengali staples such as Rohu, Catla, Bata and even freshwater varieties. The fish also rids the water of its polluting elements and renders it safe for release into rivers. Scientists also say that wastewater can be used to grow foodgrain, flowers as well as breed fish. Sewage water proves to be an alternative fertilizer for paddy. Medicinal crops like turmeric, ginger and garlic can also be produced. It is a symbiotic system where the by-products of growing vegetables can be again used for production of fishes. "In fact", says Dr. Maniranjan Sinha, Director of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute in Barrackpore, " water pollution is the least of our problems". However what does worry them is that the water level of most Indian rivers is going down. This has severely effected the supply of fish needed from rivers from time to time to avoid the consequences of chronic inbreeding". At this rate, there will be no more rivers in 20 years ". Says Dr. Sinha. The institute is also working on air breathing fish that do not need freshwater to survive, such as Singhi, Magur, Koi and Murrels. They keep coming up to the surface to breathe and can survive in sewage water. Suprisingly, they also have great nutrition value and are recommended by doctors for people recovering from illness. Dr. Sinha points out that such varieties of fish would be ideal for breeding in polluted rivers like Delhi's own Yamuna, where there is hardly any freshwater left. The river Ganga has become cleaner, though the decrease in the water level has resulted in the decrease in the number of fish in the river says Dr. Sinha. CIFA claims that fish culture through sewage water is in practice in Russia, a number of Asian Countries and many parts of Europe.

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