Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 21 : Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, participated in a Beach Clean-Up Campaign on Saturday at Juhu Beach to mark the International Coastal Clean-up Day.
Governor of Maharashtra, C. P. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Sambhaji Shinde, and Municipal Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Bhushan Gagrani, were also present on the occasion.
This global event is observed every year on the third Saturday of September.
The campaign is being organised with the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Maharashtra State Government. The beach cleaning initiative will take place at over 100 beaches across India's coastal states and union territories.
The Ministry of Environment launched a Beach Cleaning Drive in 2018 with the campaign '#IamSavingMyBeach' on World Environment Day, under the theme 'Beat Plastic.' Since then, the Ministry has been organising regular beach cleaning activities with the support of state governments and local bodies.
According to the Ministry of Environment, "The International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) is observed annually on the third Saturday of September. This day aims to inspire people to clean up beaches, raise awareness about the importance of preserving and protecting the world's oceans and waterways, and address the issue of marine trash."
In 2021, the Ministry organised beach clean-up activities at all 10 Blue Flag Certified Beaches as part of the 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
In 2022, the Ministry, along with the Ministry of Earth Sciences, conducted a beach clean-up drive under the "Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar" or "Clean Coast Safe Sea" campaign.
"The campaign spanned over 75 days across 75 beaches, where more than 15,000 volunteers collected over 1,500 tons of garbage and waste along the Indian coastline," the official statement added.
In 2023, during India's G20 Presidency, the Ministry launched the Janbhagidari movement to encourage community participation and raise awareness about coastal pollution. The movement focuses on beach cleaning efforts across all coastal states and union territories.
In its statement, the Ministry also highlighted the major beach clean-up event held at Juhu Beach on May 21 last year, where over 1,000 participants, including G20 delegates, gathered.
"Nearly 850 kg of litter, including 500 kg of plastic, were collected," the Ministry said. It also added that across India, 17,392 volunteers collected 35,243 kg of trash from 35 beaches. Of the total waste collected, 25 percent was plastic and 11 percent was glass.