The World Oceans Day was observed here on Wednesday. The NETFISH – Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in association with Fisheries College and Research Institute (FCRI), Thoothukudi, and Chevalier De Rose Society launched an awareness campaign on the importance of cleaning beach for preserving coast.
The beach-cleanup drive was organised as part of the programme with the theme ‘Healthy oceans, healthy planet” on Pearl City beach here. The key objective of this programme is to raise awareness among people of the need to keep the beaches clean and to persuade them not to litter on the beaches.
Forty students, who are volunteers of Sea Club –NSS Wing of FCRI, turned out to the beach. The participants removed garbage, debris and non bio-degradable materials found on the beach which, in turn, motivated the local populace towards maintaining a clean environment.
Sub-Collector, S. Gopala Sundara Raj inaugurated the programme in the presence of Deputy Director of MPEDA, C.S. Shine Kumar and State Coordinator of Netfish, Vinoth S. Ravindran.
After inaugurating, the Sub Collector said the district administration would extend all support to maintain cleanliness on beaches. A committee to be set up in this regard would provide garbage bins to keep them on this beach, he said.
Mr. Kumar in his keynote address, said plastics littering along the beach would certainly harm the marine environment and hence he appealed to the people not to drop plastic wastes at the beach.
Mr. Ravindran said plastics found at sea tended to be a potential threat to the marine life, especially dolphins and whales.
