Poisar is a place in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is located in Borivali West, Western Suburbs, Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Poiser river is in poiser suburbs area. The Poisar suburbs area is generally known for its river Poisar and the movement related to the river. There was a period when the water was pure and people used it for their daily needs. During the Ganesh Chaturthi ceremony in Mumbai, the Lord Ganapati idol was also immersed in this river.
Poisar and the Polluted River
Gradually the water of the Poisar river became polluted and people stopped doing the bisarjan in the river. People living alongside the river used to take baths and defecate on the riverside. Industrial waste and plastic and other regular garbage were dumped in the river. Which caused the pollution to the river and people almost forget the Poisar river.
In 2014-15, the Environmental Policy and Research Institute of India found that the Poisar river was degraded by over 100 times the established safety limit.
Also Read: Subarnarekha River – History and interesting facts about this river
Poisar river cleaning initiative
In 2011, a small group of morning walkers banded together to form the ‘River March’ movement. These mishmash of volunteers had a three-pronged agenda: make the park a no-plastic zone, clean the rivers and make the area vehicle-free.
The initiative taken by them became a movement and they are being joined by almost 12000 people to clean and spread awareness regarding the importance of cleaning rivers and garbage management.
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Support to the river cleaning
The movement was joined by people and political leaders and hundreds of tons of garbage have been removed from the Poisar river so far.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) employees from the Northward also teamed up with the volunteers to assist with the process of distillation with excavator equipment and digging up the rubbish.
A ray of hope for Poisar River
The Poisar River flows through Mumbai. It flows from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to the Marve Creek and then into the Arabian Sea. When it starts, the river has a little width and is tainted with industrial effluents and sewage; it is merely an urban stream. But the volunteers and Mumbaikars believe that the stream can be cleaned and it will have a great impact on the environment.
Also Read: Overview of Waste Management in Sikkim
How pollution Affects Aquatic life
The low oxygen level in the river Poisar is harming the river ecosystem and it is believed by experts that the condition is prone to effect alongside ecosystem and human settlements.
Rivers sustain a large ecosystem and life forms. Fish and other aquatic animals require oxygen to survive. There is no such thing as too much oxygen in natural lakes and rivers.
Fish and other aquatic species, on the other hand, may suffocate and die if oxygen levels in the water are too low. Overgrowth of animals, plants, and germs causes oxygen to be depleted quickly in contaminated systems, leading fish to suffocate. Large-scale industrial expansion, intensive fertiliser use, and the dumping of human waste, on the other hand, can swiftly pollute water and deprive it of oxygen.
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