Annamalai University has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Aachen University, Germany, for deeper studies on the impact of toxic floods in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu.
The MoU will facilitate research collaboration between Applied Mineralogy and Economic Geology and Laboratory Geochemistry and Environmental Analytical Chemistry, RWTH, Aachen University and Annamalai University’s Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology.
The IIT Madras also has signed an MoU with the German institution.
Sven Sindern, Institute of Applied Mineralogy and Economic Geology, RWTH Aachen University and N. Krishnamohan, Registrar i/c, Annamalai University, signed the MoU in the presence of V. Murugesan, Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University.
The MoU will provide applied research on impact of metal incorporation to aquatic biota related to toxic flood events and the mineralisation process in aquatic organisms for Tamil Nadu coastal areas.
The MoU will permit research activities, exchange of students and faculty members for doing research on marine and environmental science for both the countries. The study will be examining the extent and consequences of the discharge of agricultural, industrial and domestic effluents into coastal waters.
“We expect to do an in-depth analysis of the magnitude of toxicity sedimentation of heavy metal and mineral elements in waste discharges into the coastal stretch, the sea floor and tissue-level changes in aquatic life from long-term ingestion of the pollutants,” said M. Arumugam, associate professor, Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology at Annamalai University, who had earlier made a presentation on the topic at Aachen University.
The study will also look at how long it takes for intake of these pollutants for the traces to become embedded in tissue of aquaric forms like fish.
“The tissue contamination in fish has a direct bearing as well on human health,” he said.
The site of research, which has a three-year time frame, will be the four-km stretch between Killai and Parangipettai.
