The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Beaches to get new look

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Beaches to get new look

Special Correspondent

On Coastal Clean-up Day on Sunday

Hundreds of volunteers to clean the beaches
Campaign to focus on pollution prevention also

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hundreds of volunteers representing various organisations will join hands to clean up the golden sands at Shanghumughom and Kovalam as part of a campaign to observe International Coastal Clean-up Day on Sunday.

The Kerala State unit of WWF-India has announced plans to clean up the Shanghumughom beach from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. with the help of its volunteers, nature club members and other associates.

The Indian Coast Guard unit at Vizhinjam has organised a major campaign at Kovalam. As many as 500 schoolchildren and volunteers have been enlisted for the event. The children will also be educated about the problem of marine litter and the need to become part of the pollution prevention initiative.

International Coastal Clean-up Day is an annual world-wide event organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) since 1986. Over the past 20 years, thousands of volunteers across the world have cleared over 4.5-crore kg of trash from 2.72 lakh-km of beaches and inland waterways.

The campaign is not just about pollution cleanup; it is also about pollution prevention. It focusses on educating and empowering people to become part of the marine debris solution.

Data collection is an important component of the campaign. Volunteers record specific types of marine debris. The data from across the world is compiled, analysed and tracked regularly to assess the causes and source of the debris. The final information is used to educate the public, business, industry and Government officials about the problem.

The Theeradesa Mahilavedi, women’s wing of the Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, will observe International Coastal Clean-up Day on Saturday. It will team up with AICUF and WEHELP to clean up the Veli beach.

A press note quoting its secretary, Freesca Kurisappan, said the region was already facing deadly chemical pollution from the Travancore Titanium Products factory.

It said the real coastal clean-up would take place only if the Government, industry and civil society worked in tandem to avoid pollution of beaches.

The organisation has called for a wider campaign to follow up the clean-up day.

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