KARWAR: Dozens of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the Arabian Sea off Karwar coast on Thursday after the water turned black. This rare phenomenon was first noticed by morning joggers on the beach. As the news spread, a large number of people rushed to the beach to witness the ‘black sea’.“We found the sea rough and the water had turned black,” one jogger said. “Normally, the water is blue. This is really a rare phenomenon.”Many fishermen too said they haven’t seen anything quite like it. “We are not allowed to fish in mid-sea till July 31as the government has banned fishing for two months,” one fisherman said. “We do not know whether this black water has spread to mid-sea or is limited to the area near the shore.”Scientists at Karnataka University’s department of studies in marine biology (DSMB) in Karwar, who have collected samples of the water, said it was a natural phenomenon and there is no need to worry. Prof Jagannath Rathod, head of DSMB, said heavy rain over the last four days in the district is the cause.“Rainwater which flows into streams and rivers carried with it organic waste from forests,” Rathod said. “The river water flows into the sea and decomposed organic waste like leaves of trees have mixed with sea water. Since the sea is volatile, this waste is being washed to the shore and that is the reason why the water looks black when one sees it from the beach.”Scientists said another reason is dredging work at Karwar port area carried out six months ago. About 17 lakh cubic meters of silt was removed and dumped mid-sea, about 25 nautical miles away from Karwar shore. Rathod said the silt mixed with the rough sea water, resulting in a change in the colour of the water. “This colour can be seen till Polem beach in Goa adjacent to Karwar beach,” Rathod said.DSMB scientists collected water samples for analysis.

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