Progress report for
Promote, sustainably use, and protect kadalamma-the Mother Sea-with indigenous fisherfolk
Achievement at a glance
Marine Debris clean-up drive at Trivandrum coast, South India<br>
<br>The incessant downpour over the last two days and the consequent flood in the city area has a dangerous ecological fall-out at Veli estuary, Kerala, South India. In order to minimize the effects of flood in the city, this Estuary sand banks were breached to let out the flood water from the city. But, all the garbage that had clogged the canals and Veli Lake also were discharged into the sea. Thus, tones of city waste have been pushed out into the sea posing a major threat to the coastal and marine ecosystem. Friends of Marine Life (FML) have conducted a clean-up drive at the mouth of Veli estuary on 2 Aug 2018. At the end of the clean-up we could hauled out 11,773 plastic bottles, 1538 leather and plastic sandals and 834 liquor bottles from a 700 sq. foot area. Above all, approximately a truck of Thermocol pieces was also hauled out. The collected debris was handed over to the waste management authority of the district corporation for further recycling.
<br>A follow up survey conducted by FML reveals that over a stretch of 30 km area on both the sides of the Estuary and 8 km off the sea is contaminated with this polluted water and garbage from the city. The auditing statement about the garbage has attracted media attention and resulted in a good reach of the news into the public to raise awareness.
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