The Indian subcontinent has a good coastline on all of its three sides. We have a total of 7,517 kms of sealine stretch with some beautiful beaches. The beach experience is now only going to get better for tourists as 13 beaches in India will get the Blue Flag certification. A blue flag certification is awarded to those beaches that are clean, environment-friendly and well equipped with amenities for tourists. This is a very good news as these beaches are the first in Asia to get the tag. The Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of Odisha will be the first one in the country to be conferred with the title, this World Environment Day, June 5.

Along with Odisha, some beaches of Maharashtra and other coastal states will get the certification. The Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an  Environment Ministry’s body is working on the development of these beaches in accordance with the standards for the Blue Flag tag. Chiwla and Bhogave beaches in Maharashtra and one beach each from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are included in the list.

What is a Blue Flag Beach Concept?

The Blue Flag certification was started by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), in 1985. FEE is a no-profit NGO  consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, North America and South America.

The standards for qualifying in the Blue Flag beach are good water quality, safety measures, facilities for studying the environmental impact around the area. The idea is to develop a sustainable tourism. These certificates are awarded on an annual basis. Spain ranks the first for three decades since the awards began. In India, the Environment Ministry embarked on the Blue Flag project in December 2017. It is a very good news that we have 13 beaches being developed which will not just promote environment-friendliness but also give a boost to sustainable tourism.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2018 10:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).