Mumbai, Dec. 25 -- Soon, tourists visiting the golden and black sand beaches in Sindhudurg district will be able to enjoy a cleaner and pristine walk on the shore. <\/p>\n
Starting January 12, the mangrove cell of the forest department will begin its coastal clean-up drive on all 25 beaches in the coastal district as part of a joint project of central government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). <\/p>\n
The project - Mainstreaming coastal and marine biodiversity conservation into production sectors in the Sindhudurg - costs Rs18 crores and is funded by the UNDP's Global Environment Fund (GEF) and will end in 2016. <\/p>\n
Around 4,000 students and volunteers will be involved in the first major coastal clean-up as part of the project. The smaller beaches will have 100 volunteers each and longer beaches will have 200 volunteers each. <\/p>\n
\"A lot of solid waste and raw sewage gets dumped into the sea on the beaches of Sindhudurg. We want to stress on eco-tourism as part of the project and promote the 25 beaches in the district as a hub for tourism too,\" said Subir Kumar Ghosh, project coordinator, UNDP. <\/p>\n
\"There is also a plan to build a marine interpretation centre in the district to highlight the priceless marine life found around Sindhudurg's shores,\" added Ghosh. <\/p>\n
As part of the clean-up drive, the mangrove cell and UNDP will also assess the quantum of waste generated at the beaches in Sindhudurg. <\/p>\n
The base-level data on waste generation will be used to adopt fresh measures for collection and disposal of solid waste. <\/p>\n
The mangrove cell will be carrying out the clean-up with the help of locals. \"The zilla parishad is collaborating on the clean-up drive which is not a one-time activity. We will be drawing up a biodiversity action plan with locals from 185 coastal villages in the district,\" said N Vasudevan, chief conservator of forests, mangrove cell. <\/p>\n
Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times. <\/p>\n
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UN to pitch in Rs. 18 crore to clean up Sindhudurg beaches<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mumbai, Dec. Continue reading