A pollution response exercise codenamed ‘Pradushan – 01/14’ was organised by the Indian Coast Guard off the coast of Kovalam on Wednesday for fine-tuning the Standard Operating Procedure of various departments so that they could effectively prevent pollutions at sea from reaching the shore. A pressnote issued here said the exercise was declared open by District Collector Biju Prabhakar, who is also the Chairman of the District Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Committee.
The day-long proceedings were overseen by Commandant P.K. Kushwaha, Station Commander, Indian Coast Guard Station, Vizhinjam, and his team. The exercise concluded with sea sortie, including a display of aerial spray system by the Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, operating out of Kochi.
Valuable inputs — particularly the need for joint training — were gathered by the team during Wednesday’s operation.
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The event was supported by the State government; Dr. Keshav Mohan, Director, ILDM; and Dr. Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, Director, State Emergency Operation Centre; and their team, the pressnote added.