Rushikonda Beach and seven other beaches in India have been conferred the coveted eco-label ‘Blue Flag’. All these beaches will now be on the global map. District Collector V. Vinay Chand confirmed that a communication was received from Sanjai Jalla, Mission Leader, Blue Flag Beaches of India.
The other seven beaches, which have been conferred the tag are — Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod (Karnataka), Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala) Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman).
All the eight beaches have been conferred the ‘Blue Flag’ in their maiden attempt for the coveted recognition. India has also bagged the third best award for ‘best practices’ on pollution control in the coastal regions. This is out of 50 Blue Flag nations, to which India now belongs.
“It is one more feather in the cap of Visakhapatnam and the city will now be on the international tourism map. International tourists prefer to visit beaches with the Blue Flag tag as they meet all the international norms of safety, cleanliness and provide amenities matching international standards,” Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao told The Hindu on Sunday evening.
The ‘Blue Flag’ certification is given by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). Rushikonda Beach is the only one beach in the State, which was selected by the Union government, for development to match international standards, under BEAMS (Beach Environment and Aesthetics Management Services) project.
“The Rushikonda Beach was nominated for the project in 2017 and it was finalised in February, 2018. Outdoor fitness equipment, machinery for continuous beach cleaning, safety equipment like CCTV cameras and lifeguards were all provided as part of the project,” R. Purnima Devi, District Tourism Officer and Nodal Officer for the Blue Flag Project, told The Hindu.
It may be recalled that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Mo EFCC) announced at a virtual event in September this year that for the first time eight beaches of India were recommended for the Blue Flag certification.
The basic criteria for getting the certification are: safety/security, pollution-free, good bathing water quality and environmental education of beach users. A Blue Flag beach should have benches for tourists to relax, showers to enable them take a bath after a dip, a gymnasium and proper solid waste disposal systems among other things.
