Two more beaches in Lakshadweep have been awarded the ‘Blue Flag,’ placing them among the world’s cleanest and most environmentally friendly “beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators.”
On October 26, Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav announced on Twitter that India now has 12 “blue beaches.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the team and stated that there is “a great deal of passion among our people to further coastal cleanliness.”
The Blue Flag is a prestigious eco-label or certification given to coastal areas around the world as a mark of environmental honour. The Blue Flag programme is managed by the Copenhagen, Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a non-profit that contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its work.
Minicoy Thundi beach and Kadmat beach in Lakshadweep are the two new beaches to receive the eco-label. Thundi, according to Minister Yadav, is “one of the most pristine and picturesque beaches in the archipelago, with white sand lined by turquoise blue water of the lagoon,” and Kadmat is “especially popular with cruise tourists who visit the island for water sports.”
According to the FEE website, the other ten Indian beaches on the list are Shivrajpur in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district; Ghogla beach in Diu; Kasarkod (Uttara Kannada) and Padubidri (Udupi) in Karnataka; Kappad (Kozhikode) in Kerala; Eden beach in Puducherry; Kovalam (Chennai) in Tamil Nadu; Rushikonda in Andaman and Nicobar.
An Extraordinary Gazette Notification issued in January 2020 provided a list of permissible activities and facilities in the CRZ of beaches, including islands, subject to a minimum distance of 10 metres from the High Tide Line (HTL) for the purposes of Blue Flag certification.
Portable toilet blocks, change rooms, and shower panels; a solid waste management plant; a solar power plant; a purified drinking water facility; beach access pathways; landscaping lighting; seating benches and sit-out umbrellas; a cloak room facility; safety watch towers and beach safety equipment; information boards and other signage; fencing; and parking facilities were among the amenities.
According to the notification, these activities and facilities are excluded from prior clearance under the terms of the CRZ Notification, Island Protection Zone Notification, and Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications.
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