The Hindu               23.09.2013 

5,000 people join hands to clean the mess on beaches

Hundreds of schoolchildren, concerned citizens and NCC cadets put their backs into labour on a surprisingly warm Sunday to sweep away the refuse left behind by tourists, trash thrown by locals and pieces of flotsam that have sullied the sands of the coast.

‘International Coastal Clean-up Day’, marked on the third weekend of September every year, was observed in the State’s coastline by the Indian Coast Guard.

This year, a total of nine beaches or 25 km along the coast were tackled – starting from Manjeshwar in Kasaragod district; Tannirbavi, Panambur and Surathkal in Dakshina Kannada; Malpe in Udupi; and Murudeshwar, Bhatkal, Kumta and Karwar in Uttara Kannada.

More than 5,000 people were involved in the beach clean-up exercise, said Rajender Singh Sapal, Commandant (JG), Coast Guard, Karnataka.

Among the most enthusiastic were schoolchildren. Maruti and Ramesh, two Class 8 students from Dakshina Kannada district Higher Primary School, Baikampady, were seen scurrying around Panambur beach, carrying plastic bags, liquor bottles and other refuse in their gloved hands.

When asked what had brought them to join the drive on a Sunday when most of people of their age were at home playing, Maruti replied earnestly: “If we collect enough garbage, they will give us a topi (cap).”

Whatever the reason for joining the campaign, by noon, numerous piles of bulky black garbage bags stood testimony to the apathy that led to the dirtying of the beaches in the first place. (he bags were picked by trucks from the Mangalore City Corporation.

Creating awareness

The drive goes beyond just an annual cleaning of the beach, believed R.M. Sharma, Director and Inspector General (DIG), Coast Guard, Karnataka.

“This is to create awareness of the tonnes of waste that is being dumped in the oceans, which washes it ashore; as well as to reduce the garbage generation on land.”

The coast guard fleet in the state will be augmented by the end of this year or early next year with the introduction of two hovercrafts based in Tannirbavi.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the beach clean-up exercise at Panambur, R.M. Sharma, Director and Inspector General (DIG), Coast Guard, Karnataka, said 18 hovercrafts have been procured for use along the nation’s coast from a company in England.

However, the uncertainty in the date of launch of operations is caused by the issue of land procurement. The Coast Guard had requested handing over of 15 acres at Tannirbavi for parking and maintenance of the hovercrafts. “It is only when the district administration hands over the land that we can start the operations,” he said.