Tourists bring a wave of trash to beaches-Bulk of plastic litter is from tourism and fishing, and Gopalpur is the worst hit: study

• In addition to air and water pollution, India can now add one more category to its pollution worries: beach pollution.

        Cause and Effect

• Tourism and fishing are the biggest culprits, contributing most of the plastic litter on beaches, according to a study by the National Centre of Coastal Research (NCCR).
• The NCCR conducted a qualitative analysis of the litter on six different beaches on the eastern and western coasts,found that plastic litter from tourism alone accounted for 40%-96% of all beach litter.
• Also, the proportion of biomedical litter was high in urban areas.

        Areas of Analysis

• At Chennai’s Elliot’s Beach, Gopalpur in Odisha, Fort Kochi Beach, Karnataka’s Karwar beach, Visakhapatnam’s R.K. Beach, and Andaman Island’s Rangachang beach the analysis was conducted.
• The study looked at tonnes of litter across these six beaches on September 15, 2018, the International Coastal Cleanup Day.

        Action Plan

• India need a national marine litter policy to control and manage waste on land and prevent its entry into the marine environment.
• India needed to start blue-flagging its beaches.
• The ‘blue flag’ is a globally recognised eco-label awarded to beaches and marinas that adhere to strict environmental and safety norms.

The Hindu