On the occasion of International Coastal Cleanup day on September 21, the Department of Marine and Coastal Studies, Madurai Kamaraj University, organised a beach cleanup awareness event at Pudumadam beach in Ramanathapuram on Saturday.
M. Anand, Head of the Department, Marine and Coastal Studies, said the day was dedicated to the improvement of beaches, coastal regions, and their surroundings. Every year, the third Saturday of September would be observed globally as International Coastal Cleanup Day. On this day, volunteers from around the world participate in cleaning beaches and coastal areas.
The global volunteering event has been taking place for 38 consecutive years.
Speaking at the event, K. Vinod, Principal Scientist and Head of the Mandapam Regional Centre of Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), quoted a Ocean Conservancy report saying that by 2030, plastic waste found along the coast would be three times more than what it was today.
The speakers highlighted the significant issue of plastic waste, especially water bottles and other plastic materials, littering coastal areas.
They also said plastic waste affected marine organisms, coral reefs, and their biological functions. They urged that waste segregation should be done at home to help prevent plastic from reaching the coast.
Mr. Anand further added: “The awareness campaign is to highlight segregating wet and dry waste at source facilitates efficient solutions in combating marine pollution. Solid waste segregation at source is least likely to be contaminated with other types of pollutants and, therefore, more likely to be recycled. Therefore, it will gradually reduce the composition of home-based debris encountered at coastal regions.”
“On the cleanup day, the team comprising students from various institutions collected a total of 2,440 items weighing 152.7 kg. Plastics accounted for most of the waste, comprising 76.35% of the total items and 45.64% of the total weight. Other notable categories included rubber, papers, and clothes, which collectively made up a significant portion of the collected waste,” he noted.
Awareness campaign
M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, in collaboration with National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), organised an awareness campaign at Sangumal Beach, Rameswaram.
Volunteers from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Government Arts and Science College, Udhayam Polytechnic College, Indian Navy, fishing community, Tamil Nadu Marine Police participated in the drive and collected 899 kg of plastic, ghost nets and garbage from the seashore and handed it over to Ramanathapuram municipality.
Wildlife Division, Ramanathapuram, conducted extensive clean-up activities at key locations in the region, with a focus on cleaning bother underwater and seashore areas.
As part of the initiative, underwater clean-up was carried out at sites in Akkalmadam and Pirpanvalasai.
Published - September 21, 2024 06:53 pm IST
