CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s first internationally certified ‘Blue Flag’ beach in Kovalam is, no doubt, one of the cleanest in the State and sports amenities like toilets, showers, changing rooms, and eco-friendly bamboo huts to unwind. The appeal of the beach, however, takes a hit when one realises it doesn’t have a safe bathing zone.
This runs contrary to the claim on the beach’s layout map that a 125-metre safe bathing zone or a swimming zone for small floats is a key component of the beach. TNIE visited Kovalam beach, 30 km south of Chennai, on Sunday and found several children playing in the choppy waters along its 600-metre stretch. Though two lifeguards kept an eye on the children from the watchtowers, it would be difficult to stage a rescue in the absence of a demarcated safe bathing zone.
The area is also popular for surfing, which means this part of the coastline produced high waves. And with the monsoon round the corner, the sea is going to be only rougher. When contacted, Chengalpattu Collector AR Rahul Nadh told TNIE: “Safe bathing zone will be demarcated soon. There was a delay owing to administrative reasons. The contract period of Kovalam Blue Beach management committee ended and we will be handing over the beach to the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department. In the meantime, I will ask local staff to be extra alert.”
One of the administrative staff told TNIE floats have already been procured and would be deployed post monsoon. “When the sea is rough, these floats can get damaged and drift away. It costs about `40,000. We are requesting visitors to refrain from swimming now.”
Blue-Flag beaches are considered the cleanest in the world. To qualify for this tag, however, 33 stringent criteria relating to environment, water quality, safety, and accessibility must be met. The certification is accorded by Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The State government has earmarked `100 crore for implementing the Blue-Flag certification programme over the next five years. Ten more beaches have been identified for the programme. The Marina in Chennai is next in line for the upgrade.