Samudra Manthan project field work starts with sample collection in Ganjam

Bhubaneswar: A team from six institutions, including IIT-Bhubaneswar and NIT-Rourkela, began field work under Samudra Manthan project — which will help the govt create a systematic database of Odisha’s marine bioresources — by collecting samples from Bahuda river mouth in Ganjam. A review of the project, implemented under Odisha Marine Biotechnology Research and Innovation Corridor, will be done on Tuesday, said the official sources.The project will not only help the govt create a genomic and biodiversity repository, but will strengthen marine biotechnology research, improve publications and intellectual property generation, and expand national and international collaboration, added the sources.The initiative will provide high-quality biodiversity data for policymaking, connect researchers with policymakers for better ocean governance, and support marine biotechnology businesses through industry linkages and partner networks, the sources said further.Sashi Kanta Dash, deputy director (biotechnology), science and technology department, said the field work has just started. “Samples of water, sediment, algae and other items were collected from beach and sea in Ganjam by researchers for testing and analysis,” he said, adding various teams will start their work at different beaches in a phased manner.He said IIT-Bhubaneswar will map Odisha’s 574-km coastline using satellite imagery, GIS, remote sensing and sensor-equipped drones to assess bioresource availability and monitor pollution.Odisha govt has already signed an MoU with National Centre for Coastal Research, Chennai, under an India-Norway collaboration on sustainable ocean planning . NCCR will provide help for Samudra Manthan project.