CHENNAI: The phase 1 revamp of Marina beach may not receive the full Blue Flag certification, and the beach could instead be granted a ‘Pilot Blue Flag’ or ‘Blue Flag without bathing’ status, as the city corporation has not met two of the five water-quality criteria prescribed under the norms.
Speaking to the TNIE, a senior corporation official said recently the national jury reviewed the applications for Blue Flag certification, where the project met most of the 33 criteria except two pertaining to water quality.
The two criteria include a requirement that industrial wastewater, urban wastewater or sewage-related discharges must not affect the Blue Flag beach area, while the other requires the beach to comply with the prescribed microbiological limits for Escherichia coli (faecal coliform bacteria) and intestinal enterococci (streptococci).
“The national jury was convinced after GCC apprised it on the measures being taken by state government through inter-departmental coordination to improve water quality and had agreed to pitch for Blue Flag certification for the Marina.
But since we didn’t meet the water quality criteria, we may be given ‘Pilot Blue Flag’ or ‘Blue Flag without bathing’ status, the official said, adding the international jury will decide regarding this. The officials said with the Cooum river in proximity to Marina Beach, meeting these criteria has become difficult.
While the blue flag water-quality criteria prescribe E. coli bacteria at 250 colony-forming units (CFU)/100 ml or below and intestinal enterococci at 100 CFU/100 ml or below, the latest water-quality test conducted by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) at the Blue Flag area of Marina beach recorded E. coli at 320 CFU/100 ml and intestinal enterococci at 320 CFU/100 ml, both 1.28 times and 3.2 times higher than the prescribed limits, respectively. The sample also recorded a pH of 7.76, dissolved oxygen of 6.43 mg/l, BOD of 4.27 mg/l and turbidity of 56.5 NTU.
Another corporation official told the TNIE, “The Blue Flag beach works have been completed in two phases so far and are ongoing in the remaining three phases, which are at various stages of completion. So far, the application for Blue Flag certification has been submitted only for the first phase. Once we receive the certification, we will apply for certification for the other completed phase as well.”
What’s Pilot Blue Flag status
A pilot Blue Flag status means a beach is in a trial or preparatory phase to earn full international Blue Flag certification. During this period, officials test and build the required infrastructure to meet all 33 criteria
