Around 600 volunteers from the Coast Guard, the Coastal Police, Forest Department, Kochi Corporation, National Service Scheme and various schools in the city took part in a drive to clean up the Fort Kochi beach as part of the international coastal clean-up day campaign organised by the Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 4 on Saturday.
Truckloads of trash collected during the drive were shipped to the corporation's waste dumping ground. T.K. Ashraf, chairman of the corporation standing committee on health and education, who was the chief guest, stressed the need for cleaner beaches for a better marine environment.
Coast Guard District Commander TKS Chandran, DIG, thanked the volunteers for their concern and effort in the clean-up drive.
Every September, from Baltimore to Bangladesh, volunteers from over 152 countries gather at local beaches, river banks, lake sides and canals to show their commitment to cleaner waterways.