Indian Coast Guard carried out beach cleaning across the country at 75 locations on 17 Sep 22 as part of the International Coastal Cleanup Day and ‘Swachh Sagar Abhiyan’ towards celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, 75 years of India’s independence. Indian Coast Guard, amongst its many important roles, is mandated for taking such measures as are necessary to preserve and protect the maritime environment and to prevent and control marine pollution in the maritime zones of India.
Director General VS Pathannia, PTM,TM delivered the inaugural address in one of the events held at Juhu, Mumbai. His Excellency Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the Governor of Maharashtra and Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister MoES graced the occasion apart from other dignitaries towards this noble cause. Globally, ICC is conducted on the third Saturday of September and ICG has been leading this campaign in India since 2006. The International Coastal Cleanup Day 2022 became a landmark event which broke all previous records in terms of number of participants and geographical areas covered and shapes a major departure from the normal towards protecting and preserving the fragile marine environment in our country. The simultaneous conduct of cleaning drive on 75 beaches along about 7500km coastline of our country was aimed at changing the behavioural attitude of masses towards pollution by plastic.
This year, the efforts of ICG during ICC -22 were further aligned towards the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ flagship programme ‘Swachh Sagar-Surakshit Sagar’. The Cadets from National Cadet Corp also participated in significant numbers across the country as they are instrumental in steering the ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ aimed at bringing changes in the societal behaviour towards use of plastic products. The alignment of various forums towards plastic neutrality is a welcome indication towards realisation of common goal of plastic free society.
DG Pathania also stated that there is no single, one-size fits all solution to the current plastic crisis. Governments, businesses and individuals all have a major role to play, in steering us clear of a future where plastic pollution destroys our environment. It is heartening to note positive collaborative efforts towards a common cause by the mankind.
