In News:

• Two more beaches - Minicoy Thundi beach and Kadmat beach 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.

What’s in today’s article:

• About the Blue Flag program
• Blue Flag Beaches in India

About the Blue Flag program:

• The Blue Flag is a distinguished eco-label or certification granted to coastal areas (for beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators) around the world as a mark of environmental honour.
  • A marina is a small harbour where mainly pleasure boats and yachts dock.
• The Blue Flag program is run by the Copenhagen, Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) - a non-profit organisation that contributes to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its work.
  • It was established in 1987, first in Europe, and certification has been granted on an annual basis since then. It has been implemented outside of Europe since 2001.
  • So far, the label has been awarded to 5,042 beaches, marinas, and tourism boats in 48 nations.
  • Spain is the country with the most Blue Flag beaches, followed by Greece and France.
• In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, which is one of the most prestigious voluntary awards in the world, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.

Blue Flag Beaches in India:

• India now has 12 blue beaches:
  • Minicoy Thundi beach and Kadmat beach, both in Lakshadweep, are the two new beaches.
  • The other 10 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 (Visakhapatnam) in Andhra Pradesh;
    • Golden beach in Puri, Odisha; and
    • Radhanagar Swarajdeep in Andaman and Nicobar.
  • Last year, Kovalam and Eden were awarded the Blue Flag. The remaining eight beaches were certified in 2020 and recertified last year.
  • No Blue Flag nation has ever received recognition for 8 beaches in a single attempt.
  • Taking the lead from the Blue Flag certification, India has launched its own eco-label BEAMS (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management Services) as part of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project.
    • The Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change initiated BEAMS in 2020.
• Permissible activities for the purposes of Blue Flag certification:
• A government notification issued in January 2020 provided a list of permissible activities and facilities in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) of beaches, including islands, subject to a minimum distance of 10 metres from the High Tide Line (HTL).
• These included portable toilet blocks; solid waste management plant; solar power plant; purified drinking water facility; beach access pathways; etc.
• These activities and facilities would be exempt from prior clearance under the provisions of CRZ Notification, Island Protection Zone Notification and Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications.
• Significance of Blue Flag program:
  • People will develop a strong desire to improve coastal cleanliness: This is because the idea of connecting the public with their surroundings and encouraging them to learn more about their environment is central to the Blue Flag program's goals.
  • Environmental conservation: Blue flag beaches have grey water treatment plants, solid waste management plants, solar power plants, solar lighting, and so on.
  • Promote tourism: It encourages the administration to build new beaches in order to attract a big number of tourists and so promote tourism in the district.