Blue Flag Tag for Kasarkod, Padubidri Beaches
Prelims Syllabus: Ecology Eco System
Mains Syllabus: GS-III Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why in News?
• Two beaches, Kasarkod beach near Honnavar in Uttara Kannada and Padubidri beach near Udupi in the State are among the eight in the country that have bagged the coveted eco-label ‘Blue Flag’ from the international agency Foundation for Environment
Education, Denmark.
About Blue Flag Programme:
• The Blue Flag Programme for beaches and marinas is run by the international, non governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental
Education).
• It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside Europe since 2001, when South Africa joined.
• Previously, Japan and South Korea were the only countries in South and south-eastern Asia to have Blue Flag
Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches;
Greece and France follow with 515 and 395, respectively.
There are nearly 33 criteria that must be met to qualify for a Blue Flag certification, such as the water meeting certain quality standards, having waste disposal facilities, being disabled- friendly, have first aid equipment, and no access to pets in the main areas of the beach. Some criteria are Voluntary and Some Compulsory.
Why they were given Blue Flag Tag?
• Kasarkod and Padubidri beaches have grey water treatment plants, solid waste
management plants, disabled-friendly equipment to enable them to enter seawater,
seating arrangements, clean drinking water, washroom, changing room, bathing facility,
disabled-friendly and general toilets, parking facilities, solar power plant, solar lighting,
and the like.
• The six other beaches are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman and Diu, Kappad in
Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden beach in Odisha and Radhanagar beach in
Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Does CRZ Rules allow for these Activities in the Beaches?
• India’s CRZ laws do not allow the construction of infrastructure on beaches and islands.
• However, the Blue Flag certification requires beaches to create infrastructures like
portable toilet blocks, Greywater Treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities,
CCTV surveillance, etc.
• The government notified that construction activities and facilities shall be permitted in the
CRZs, including Islands, for the purpose of Blue Flag Certification in beaches.
• However, these activities are subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters
from the High Tide Line (HTL).
✓ High Tide Line: HTL means the line on the land up to which the highest water line reaches during the spring tide.
✓ Low Tide Line: Similarly, it means the line on the land up to which the lowest water line reaches during the spring tide.
✓ Spring tides: The position of both the sun and the moon in relation to the earth has direct bearing on tide height. When the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight
line, the height of the tide will be higher. These are called spring tides and they occur twice a month, one on full moon period and another during New Moon Period.
SOURCE:- IASGATEWAY
