Beach and Lake Cleaning

 

Beach cleaning or clean up is the process of removing solid litter, organic debris, and chemicals that get deposited on the beach or coastline by the tides, tourists, or local visitors. A beach is a common property belonging to human society which is sustainable in the past, present, and future. Maintaining a clean environment reduces pollution, preserves our biosphere, and protects endangered species and natural resources. It is a community service to create awareness among the public. one such service is beach cleaning done to collect trash and the main goal is to reduce garbage and plastics.

I  am a person who wishes to be clean and maintain cleanliness and wish it continues everywhere, making our Chennai more adorable. The prime part of it lies on the beach and lake. Where I am more concerned about biodiversity.

Students at Britto's are asked to volunteer to team up with NGOs for a beach cleaning camp. Playing videos of beach cleaning is a motivation for the students to think of making a litter-free zone in Chennai. Placing        dust bins

across the beach to collect waste thrown by the visitors. Educate the vendors with street play by giving Handouts about keeping the beach clean. Gathering the visitors on the beach and briefing        them about the DO'S and DON'TS when they come to enjoy the place.

  

Awareness, extended volunteering attitude, getting knowledge about bio and non - biodegradable waste, avoiding usage of plastics and benefits of using cloth bags, the importance of teamwork, creating a forum to meet and interact with NGOs and gain knowledge about minimizing pollution on the beach.

 

Steps to clean up; Have compostable bags or recycle bags, plan for a daily schedule, and go for safety measures like wearing gloves masks, etc. Ensuring proper disposal by recycling, and concentrating on'' Microplastics'' is also the most important step involved in cleaning the beach.

How to keep the beach clean as an individual

1. Carry a trash bag to collect waste left over by our family.

2. Do not carry plastic bottles, aluminum foil packets, plastic-covered food items, etc.

3. Volunteer by joining any NGO for cleaning up work.4.Pick trash spotted on the shore.

Reason for cleaning up

To make our surrounding a better place to live with a sense of pleasure to involve in the task undertaken, whether it is volunteering for civic welfare done regularly at intervals. Beach cleaning improves coastal and ocean eco- system giving assurance that in the future no trash is going to be toxic to kill or harm marine life like sea -turtles and sea birds

Survey On Beach Cleaning

A survey on beach littering says '' 5% of marine litter is on the beach, 15% is on the surface of the sea, 70% on the sea -bed, and 1,00,000 marine animals and sea -turtles die every year from littering caused by human activities. Chennai corporation along with urbaner summit has conducted a beach cleanup drive making the citizens held responsible for littering and also knowing how the waste is segregated and disposed of. Lots of plastics get dumped in waterways and clog the drains and spoil the environment. In most the countries like USA, JAPAN, FRANCE, etc., beaches are the best destinations where if beaches are polluted and the seafood consumed, will have tons of chemicals including plastic fragments cause biomagnification in the human body resulting in illness and death. For example, Bluefin tuna       fish accumulate high mercury levels which are toxic to the core. Lake cleaning using algae has been effectively done by Mr. T. Sampath Kumar, a chartered accountant by profession who had an innovative idea of using diatom algae -Nualgi which in turn provides oxygen to bacteria that consume lake pollutants. Bio clean or Pond clarifier is an Eco- friendly, pond bioremediation cleaning, with beneficial bacteria which act on sludge in water bodies. The bacteria adapt to the pond ecosystem and this makes an effective      natural solution for lake cleaning and restoration. Lake cleaning promotes water clarity, and pond bed quality and prevents malodorous emanating from ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide thereby preventing the growth of algal bloom. We also equip the local people to take care of the lake by protecting it from miscreants who may harm and pollute the lake by any means. Beach cleaning can one way help us to have data about the trash which pollutes most and can be curtailed from entering the ocean. or beach Eg. Plastic water bottles, aluminum foil, plastic covers etc. Even plastic straw, over years, has been common trash on the beach. when eaten by birds mistaken for food it chokes them to death or clogs the intestine without getting digested.

In November 2018, a sperm whale has washed ashore dead and when examined for its sudden death, 1000 pieces of plastic,115 cups,25 bags, 4 bottles, and a pair of flip-flops were found in the stomach. The visitors also catch some live animals, sea -shells, etc which is a great threat to habitat loss. Plastics when broken into bits are consumed as food by marine forms as microplastics as small plankton leading to death after ingestion, affecting reproduction and increasing the rate of any disease prevailing         already. Nature supplies algae-eating fish that live in lakes rich with nutrients. Fishes like plecos, otocinclus , catfish, and Florida flagfish are the fishes that clear algae in lakes.

 

Mr.Arun Krishnamurthy, working in a brief stint in Google's sales and media marketing department quit the job as his love for nature forced him to take on the project of cleaning lakes dumped with garbage or in near future turned into housing plots by greedy real estate developers. With his volunteer crew, he has cleared 39 lakes in Chennai, 7 in Hyderabad, and one each in Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore, and other districts of Tamil Nadu like Villupuram and Kanchipuram. From his observation, the boundaries of the lakes are    not demarcated, because of encroachments .so the lakes have to be clear

from the boundary line for restoration properly. The restoration is designed to improve        the biodiversity of the lake and make multiple life forms thrive in it. With de-silted soil, an island is created in the middle of the lake with water to support life with crabs, pond turtles, and small fishes, the trees provide breeding space for the birds. Lake and beach cleaning is important to mitigate the problem caused by the debris of plastic polluting marine life' Lake cleaning is done to ensure good quality drinking water free from contaminants. All the citizens must realize the responsibility to take up cleaning instead of feeling that someone, some organization, or some NGO would volunteer because the threat of pollution is Man-made. Beach and lake cleaning up is a REHABILITATION process to bring back the lost treasure, which is valued more for future generations and society too.

Given my concern for society, the school has done beach and lake cleaning with NGOs, and taking a step more in cleaning any water body makes me feel happy and my thought is well taken up by students for the benefit of society because water bodies are always sustaining for many generations.

Testimonial

Hai ! I am Rohit who  has joined B.com in Gurunanak College of Arts and Science. I am basically a fun loving person in school always taking things in a lighter way. One incident transformed  me  into a serious person with a lot of realization. I was called for beach cleaning in Chennai along with my classmates. I  went to have fun .But when I saw the litter,a bad smell coming and crows found dead and some people digging for turtle eggs made me feel uncomfortable. When I spoke to the people not to take the eggs,they simply walked away. But then onwards I joined with NGO’S every month and started campaigning against the above said issues. Now I am doing the same with The Youth Wing Movement in the college ,where many students have joined in the cleaning up process which might give a hope of preserving biodiversity.