The city’s long stretch of beaches witnessed clean-up drives organised by various agencies as part of the observance of the International Coastal Clean-up Day on Saturday.
The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation organised a mega clean-up drive across the several beaches. Mayor Arya Rajendran inaugurated the drive on the Vettukad beach in the presence of Health Standing Committee Chairperson Gayathri Babu.
As many as 300 sanitation workers of the civic body and 500 volunteers from the Volunteer for India movement participated in the drive that was organised as part of the State government’s ongoing Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam waste management campaign.
About 10 NGOs were also part of the drive. The clean-up drive was held on the Kovalam, Shanghumukhom, Vettukad and Veli beaches. Around 2 tonnes of various kinds of waste were removed from the beaches. Ms.Rajendran called on students and NGOs to join hands with the Corporation in the efforts to ensure that the city’s beaches remain clean.
The Indian Coast Guard’s Vizhinjam Station organised a clean beach campaign at Hawa Beach, Kovalam. Commandant G.Sreekumar, Station Commander, inaugurated the event, which was a collaborative effort between the Indian Coast Guard, Lulu International Mall Thiruvananthapuram, Adani Group, Kerala Hotel and Resort Association, State Bank of India, Balaramapuram and ICICI Bank. A total of 950 kgs of garbage was collected and disposed of in coordination with the Corporation.
Approximately 400 volunteers from the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Wives Welfare Association (CGWWA) Vizhinjam, National Cadet Corps, Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Coastal Police Vizhinjam, and Kovalam Police participated in the clean-up drive.
The initiative is part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness about coastal environment conservation among the public and fishing communities.
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Cadets of the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of Trivandrum NCC Group also organised a clean-up drive on the Vizhinjam- Kovalam -Shankumugham coastal stretch. The National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in association with the National Service Scheme and Suchitwa Mission organised a beach clean-up at Kovalam Beach. NCESS director N.V. Chalapati Rao inaugurated the clean-up.
Published – September 21, 2024 08:04 pm IST