The International Coastal Cleanup Day is observed on the third Saturday of every September as per the mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme. In the region of South Asia the drive is coordinated by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP).
Apart from officials and staff of the Coast Guard, representatives of Indian Navy, Customs, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, marine police and boards, school and college students as well as fishermen communities took part in the cleanup drive.
India has a coastline of over 7,500 kilometers along nine states and two union territories of the country.
The Indian Coast Guard Region (West) informed that beach cleaning activities were conducted in four states - Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, that fall under its ambit. The western region also conducted the cleanup drive in two union territories of Daman and Lakshadweep.
"Around 8,000 volunteers participated in the drive on Saturday. They cleared approximately 30,000 kgs of trash and non-bio degradable waste apart from a huge quantity of non-degradable marine litter," said an official from the western region.
The data of the trash collected will be analysed by SACEP that will also work out suitable remedial actions through inter-governmental programmes in order to keep the oceans and beaches clean.
( With inputs from IANS )