BEACH CLEANING: OVER 80 TONNES OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSED

NEW DELHI: Over 80 tonnes of solid waste was collected and disposed of from nearly 50 beaches stretching over 100 km in the country as a week-long mass beach cleaning drive entered the fourth day on Thursday, the Ministry of Environment said. To create awareness about the importance of coastal ecosystems, the ministry launched a weeklong cleanliness-cum-awareness drive at 50 beaches under the 'Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan' from November 11 to 17. "The campaign entered its fourth leg today with an overwhelming response of about 41,382 volunteers, including eco club students, having actively participated till date in the drives in all 10 states/UTs, covering a total of 110 kilometers of beach stretches," the ministry said in a statement. "A total of 84 tons of solid waste has been collected and disposed of so far during the drive," the ministry said in a statement. The identified beaches are in 10 coastal states/Union territories (UTs) namely Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Government officials, school/college students and several others are actively participating in the beach cleaning drive, a ministry official said. Nodal teachers from ecoclubs are present at the sites during the cleanliness drive. Environment Ministry officials are also assisting the state governments and UTs in conducting the drives. Beach cleaning activities are done for two hours on a daily basis at a minimum of one kilometer stretch of the beach.