Visakhapatnam: Enthusiastic volunteers chipped in to clean a city beach on Thursday (June 8) in response to a call given by the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam (Vizag Zoo) as part of commemorating the World Ocean Day. Volunteers from diverse walks of life, government employees, NGOs, students, citizens and others, cleaned up the Sagar Nagar beach, opposite the zoo’s beach road gate starting from 6 AM. Nandani Salaria, curator, Vizag Zoo in a press note shared,
Participants actively engaged in collecting and removing various types of debris, including plastic bottles and other waste material that pose a threat to marine life
Ms. Salaria emphasised that collective action is crucial in addressing the challenges faced by the oceans, highlighting the vital role played by zoological parks in promoting environmental conservation.
Also Read: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Participates In Beach Cleaning Programme In Chennai | News (ndtv.com)
As a token of appreciation, all the volunteers were given certificate of participation for their contribution in the coast cleaning activity, which is also aimed at raising awareness about oceans and marine ecosystems.
On Tuesday, the zoo called for volunteers to undertake coastal clean up on World Ocean Day, aimed at protecting the sea and marine ecosystems.
Observed on June 8 annually, World Ocean Day supports collaborative conservation, teaming up with its global network of youth and organisational leaders in 150 countries.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
