The Ministry of Earth Sciences has recently undertaken an initiative to preserve the health of our coastlines—the Coastal Clean Up Drive. This effort is a part of the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar Campaign, aiming to clean 75 beaches across India within a timeframe of 75 days. As a first-of-its-kind and longest running project, this campaign is set to pull in a significant number of participants.
Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar Campaign: A Brief Overview
The Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar Campaign is not just the first, but also the longest coastal cleanup campaign across the globe. Its aim is to encourage public awareness about the detrimental effects of litter—not only on beaches and coastlines but also in the oceans. Such awareness is expected to bring about a massive behaviour change among people, especially concerning plastic usage which threatens marine life.
This campaign is slated to end on International Coastal Clean-up Day (17th September 2022), a day celebrated globally on the third Saturday of every September. To spread word about the campaign and encourage voluntary registration for beach cleaning activities, a mobile application—Eco Mitram—has also been launched.
The Objectives of the Campaign
The principal goal of the campaign is to run a cleanliness drive along the entire coastline of India. It aims to minimize the use of plastics and cut down on marine litter, while also encouraging waste segregation at the source and promoting better waste management practices.
The Importance of Clean Oceans
Oceans serve as a primary source of nourishment, particularly for people in the poorest regions of the world. An estimated 8% of the global population, about 540 million individuals, rely directly or indirectly on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. With overfishing, loss of biodiversity, and potential extinction of species, these already strained resources face further stress. Such pressure could lead to increased poverty, famine, and in extreme cases, even war. Thus, sustainable management of the ocean resources is the only viable pathway to global prosperity and peace.
Related Initiatives
In line with the objectives of the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar Campaign, several other initiatives have also been undertaken. Some of these include a ban on single-use plastics, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Policy, the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, the celebration of World Oceans Day, and the GloLitter Partnerships Project. These initiatives underline the commitment toward preserving the health and integrity of our oceans, ensuring their sustainability for generations to come.