New Delhi: In an effort towards creating mass awareness about the importance of coastal ecosystems and striving to keep beaches clean, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is currently intensively undertaking a cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 beaches under the “Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan” from November 11 to 17.
The campaign entered its fourth leg today with an overwhelming response of about 41,382 volunteers including Ecoclub students having actively participated till date in the drives in all 10 States/UTs, covering a total of 110 kilometers of beach stretches. A total amount of 84 Tons of solid waste has been collected and disposed of so far during the drives.
The identified beaches are in 10 coastal States/Union Territories (UTs) namely Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. The beaches have been identified after the consultation with the States/UTs.
Following is the list of the beaches identified for cleanliness-cum-awareness drive:
| Sl. No. | State | Beaches |
| I | Andhra Pradesh | Kalingapatanam Beach
(Srikakulam District) |
| Chintapaki Beach
(Vizianagaram District) |
||
| Yarada
(Visakhapatnam District) |
||
| R. K. Beach
(Visakhapatnam District) |
||
| Manginapudi
(Krishna District) |
||
| Suryalanka
(Guntur District) |
||
| Ramayapathnam
(Prakasam District) |
||
| II | Goa | Benaulim
(SalceteTaluka, South Goa) |
| Baina.
(MormugaoTaluka, South Goa) |
||
| Morjim
(PernemTaluka, North Goa) |
||
| Ashvem
(PernemTaluka, North Beach) |
||
| Baga
(Calangute, North Goa) |
||
| Palolem
(CanaconaTaluka, South Goa) |
||
| III | Gujarat | Mandavi
(Kutch District) |
| Mangrol Bara
(Junagarh) |
||
| Bhavani
(Bhavnagar district) |
||
| Tithal
(Valsad District ) |
||
| Pingleshwar
(Kutch distinct ) |
||
| IV | Karnataka | Malpe
(Udupi) |
| Om
(Uttara Kannada district) |
||
| Niravana
(Uttara Kannada district) |
||
| Apsarkonda
(Uttara Kannada district) |
||
| Ravindranath Tagore
(Uttara Kannada district) |
||
| Gokarna
(Uttara Kannada district) |
||
| V | Kerala | Valiyaparamba
(Kasaragode District) |
| Muzhupilangad
(Kannur District) |
||
| Kuttayi
(Malappuram District) |
||
| Kozhikode
(Kozhikode District) |
||
| Chavakkad
(Thrissur District) |
||
| Marari
(Alappuzha District) |
||
| Kadinamkulam
(Thiruvananthapuram District) |
||
| VI | Maharashtra | Uran
(Navi Mumbai) |
| Tarkarli
(Malvantaluka in Sindhudurg district) |
||
| Ganapatipule
(Ratnagiri) |
||
| Girgaumchowpatty
(Mumbai) |
||
| VII | Odisha | Sonaour
(Ganjam District) |
| Udayapur\
(Balasore District) |
||
| Jahania
(Puri District) |
||
| Gopalpur
(Ganjam District) |
||
| Puri
(Puri District) |
||
| VIII | Puducherry | Paradise
(Puducherry District) |
| Puducherry
(Puducherry District) |
||
| Karaikal Town
(Karaikal District) |
||
| Akkampattai Village beach
(Karaikal District) |
||
| IX | Tamil Nadu | Kunimedu
(Villupuram District) |
| Eliot
(Chennai) |
||
| Mamallapuram
(Chengalpattu district) |
||
| Kovalam
(Kanyakumari District) |
||
| X | Daman & Diu | Jallandar |
| Nagoa |
Earlier on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Sanjay Dhotre participated in a beach drive at Calicut. Governments and Ministries are also actively participating in the beach cleaning drives.
The cleaning drives in all beaches are being undertaken, involving school/college students of Eco-clubs, district administration, institutions, volunteers, local communities and other stakeholders. State Nodal Agencies for the Eco-clubs are facilitating the week long intensive cleanliness drive in all 10 States/UTs. Nodal teachers from the Eco-clubs are present at the sites during the entire cleanliness drive. MoEF&CC officials are also assisting the State Governments/UTs in successful organization of the drive in respective States/UTs.
For beach cleaning activities which is for a duration of two hours on daily basis, a minimum of one Kilometer stretch of the beach has been identified. Beach sand cleaning machines are being deployed in about 15 identified beaches. The Ministry has given directions to all States/UTs for disposing off the waste collected as per extant Waste Management Rules, 2016.
