With India celebrating its 75th Independence Day, to make beaches eco-friendly and clean, a coastal clean-up drive has been initiated. The initiative will be carried out on 75 beaches for 75 days, starting from July 3. The drive will end on September 17. The main aim of this initiative is to remove 1,500 tonnes of garbage from seacoasts. This drive is a huge part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The main focus of this drive is to spread awareness among people about the effects of dumping plastic in ocean waters. These are dangerous to marine life. Various studies have suggested how the use of plastic forms can cause harm to marine biodiversity, human health and the economy. During the monsoon season, one can see several microplastics lying along the coastline.
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The International Coastal Cleanup Day is organised on the third of September every year. This year, it falls on September 17, when the drive will come to an end.
Indian Coast Guard, Environment Ministry, National Disaster Management Authority, Akhil Vidyarthi Parishad, Students for development and various other organisations, joined in to keep the Indian coastline clean and free of plastics. According to the Ministry, the three goals for the drives are to consume judiciously, dispose of waste carefully and separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste at home.
To encourage people to reduce the use of plastic and to protect marine life, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, called for a complete ban on single-use plastic bags. This was effective from July 1, 2022. The ban is also extended to the use, manufacture and distribution of plastics across the country.
