CHENNAI: Unprecedented scenes can be witnessed on the Muttukadu-Kovalam beach along East Coast Road. Large quantities of garbage including discarded fishing nets and plastic bottles have washed up on the beach, giving an ugly look to what is otherwise a pristine coastline. In fact, the Tamil Nadu government is pushing hard to get international 'Blue Flag Certification' for Kovalam beach. This is also a notified nesting ground for endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
With Chennai and Chengalpet districts receiving above normal rains, the water level in the Buckingham Canal has increased, taking all the heaps of garbage dumped in it and flushing them into the Bay of Bengal through Muttukadu estuary bar mouth.
In the last one week alone, about three tonnes of garbage were removed by field staff who are executing blue flag certification work. Of the total waste, 1.6 tonnes were plastic waste drawing attention yet again to the danger posed by human-created waste to marine and coastal ecosystems.
"Waste is being washed ashore for the past 15 days. Torn fishing nets, cloth, plastic bags, driftwood, and plastic bottles accounted for the major chunk of the trash. The sea water is turbulent at present due to strong current and wind towards the shore creating a churning effect. All floating debris and waste deposited in the shallow waters is getting washed ashore. The illegal dumping of garbage into the Buckingham Canal upstream in Chennai and its southern suburbs needs to be prevented to stop such events from recurring," a senior official from the Department of Environment told The New Indian Express.
Selvam, a fisherman and surfer from Kovalam village, said every year during monsoon large quantities of trash wash up on the coastline. "This year though, it has been on an unprecedented scale.” It is not just on the beach. Fishermen say the garbage can be seen upto 3 km into the sea.
Though authorities and staff of Taj Hotel cleared the garbage to a large extent on the southern beach side of Muthukadu estuary, there are still several tonnes of trash on the northern side behind Central Institute of Brackish Aquaculture (CIBA) research station and Karikattukuppam fishing village.
CIBA officials told The New Indian Express, "Under Swachh Bharat, we have conducted a beach clean-up recently. But within a couple of days, the trash has accumulated again."
Recently, the Tamil Nadu government issued an order for 'comprehensive' restoration of the Buckingham Canal and its associated drains along with the major drains draining into the Adyar and Cooum rivers. For the restoration work, Rs 1281.88 crores has been accorded administrative sanction, of which Rs 542.12 crore is for channel improvement works, Rs 131.42 crore for solid waste removal and Rs 608.34 crore for urban waterfront development. The project is scheduled to be implemented during the course of three years, from 2020 to 2023.