Blue Flag Standards for Beaches in The Country

Delhi, July 21 – Under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has piloted Beach Environment & Aesthetic Management Service (BEAMS) Programme. Under this programme, various activities related to pollution abatement, beach awareness, aesthetics, safety, surveillances services and environment education, etc., have been done at identified beaches aimed to achieve international standards for Blue Flag Beach Certification.

Total 10 beaches situated in 6 States and 3 Union Territories have been developed at par with best international beaches with safety and ecologically sustainable infrastructure, acceptable bathing water quality, self-sustaining energy supply and environmentally sound services/management measures. Beaches that have been conferred with internationally recognized Blue Flag Certification are:

Shivrajpur, Devbhumi Dwarka District, Gujarat
Ghoghla (Diu) Dadara Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
Padubidri, Udupi District, Karnataka
Kasarkod, Karwar District, Karnataka
Kappad, Kozhikode District, Kerala
Kovalam, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu
Eden, Puducherry District, Puducherry
Rushikonda, Vishakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh
Golden, Puri District, Odisha
Radhanagar (Havelock), Andaman & Nicobar Islands

National Center for Coastal Research (NCCR) under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) conducted studies on the qualitative analysis of litter in different beaches along the east and west coast of India. Studies indicated that the plastic litter from tourism varies from40% to 96%. As per the studies conducted by MoEF&CC and MoES, most of the harbors and beaches have high beach litter.