Coast Guard conducts beach clean up in Mumbai

Around 5000 kgs of garbage was collected and handed over to BMC for disposal

In continuation of ongoing efforts for the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,’ the Indian Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (West) conducted International Coastal Cleanup-2018 (ICC-2018) day in the state of Maharashtra on Saturday.

The International Coastal Cleanup day is conducted in various parts of the world on third Saturday of September every year under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and under the aegis of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) in the South Asian Region.

The Indian Coast Guard has been involved in this activity since 2006. International statistics say that last year 5,61,000 volunteers picked up 16 million pounds of trash from shorelines around the world. This day is an important day in the calendar of the Indian Coast Guard where Coast Guard fraternity comes together to reaffirm their commitment towards cleaner coasts and Swachh Bharat for a better tomorrow.

The event was conducted & coordinated by Headquarters, Coast Guard District (Maharashtra) from 0800 to 1100 hrs at Worli Koliwada seafront, Juhu beach, Dadar/Shivaji Park beach, Khanoji Island, Dahanu, Ratnagiri and Murud Janjira beaches.

Around 7000 volunteers including NGOs, NCC cadets, NSS, school and college students, staff of various organisations and members of the local community joined hands with the Coast Guard in this noble initiative. Additional Director General K Natarajan, Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard) and Inspector General Vijay D Chafekar, Commander Coast Guard Region (West) were present at the occasion.

Approximately 5000 kgs of garbage was collected and handed over to BMC for disposal. All the participants during ICC reflected enthusiasm and involvement in making the beaches cleaner through combined efforts and thus inculcated awareness in the minds of the young generation.

International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) is conducted every year along the coastline of our country, by the Indian Coast Guard, to spread awareness about environmental concerns especially for preserving beaches, saving flora and fauna and ensuring cleaner oceans.