Puri: World Environment Day Tuesday will go down as red-letter day for the state with the Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast becoming the first
in Asia to get the Blue Flag
certification.
The tag is given to a beach which is environment-friendly, clean and equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists.
Chiwla and Bhogave beaches in Maharashtra, one beach each from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands had been shortlisted for the
honour.
All these beaches in the country are being developed by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an Environment Ministry’s body working for the management of coastal areas, in accordance with the Blue Flag standards.
According to the Blue Flag standards, a beach has to strictly comply with 33 environment and tourism-related conditions.
“In order to get the Blue Flag tag, a beach has to be plastic-free and be equipped with a waste management system. Availability of clean water for tourists, amenities of international standards for tourists and equipped with facilities for studying environmental impact around the beach,”
said Arvind Nautiyal, Project
Head of SCIOM.
The Environment Ministry started a pilot project to develop the country’s beaches according to the Blue Flag standards in December 2017.
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