Kovalam is among the two beaches in the country that have received the ‘Blue Flag’ international recognition.
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The Eden beach in Puducherry is the other beach to get the certification.
The Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark that gives the globally recognised certification has recertified eight beaches: Shivarajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Diu, Kasaragod and Kappad in Kerala, Padubidri in Karnataka, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden in Odisha, and Radhanagar in Andaman and Nicobar.
The Blue Flag recognition is awarded by a jury comprising members from the IUCN, UNWTO, UNEP, and UNESCO after considering 33 parameters.
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Minister for Environment Bhupender Yadav tweeted about the certification on Tuesday evening. The Union Ministry has launched a programme ‘Beach Environment and Aesthetics Management Services’ for sustainable development of the Indian coast.
It aims at reducing pollution in water in coastal areas, sustainable development of facilities on the coast, conservation of coastal ecosystem and natural resources, equipping local people to prioritise cleanliness among visitors, and so on. In the past three years, the Ministry has made major gains in environmental conservation on the 10 beaches.