3, 000kgs of rubbish removed during beach clean-up

More than 3, 000kgs of rubbish was collected when the Consulate General of India, Durban in partnership with eThekwini Municipality held a G20 Beach clean-up at the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve, on Sunday, to tackle the crisis of marine litter.

The beach clean-up forms part of India’s global initiative to bring attention to the problem of marine litter and the need to work together towards sustainable development of oceans.

As one of the largest ‘Jan Bhagidari’ (community participation) campaigns under India’s G-20 presidency. India also aims to enhance co-operation among G20 nations in promoting sustainable ocean management and marine biodiversity conservation.

In India, this event started with a mega beach clean-up campaign in Mumbai, followed by deliberations on the Ocean20 dialogue.

Ocean20 serves as a platform for sharing best practices in science and technology, innovation, policy, governance, participation, and blue finance mechanisms, all aimed at ensuring a sustainable and climate-resilient blue economy.

Speaking on the occasion, consul general of India to Durban, Dr Thelma John David highlighted the powerful message behind the theme of India’s G20 presidency- ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (One Earth, One Family, One Future).

She emphasised the importance of Mission LIFE (Lifestyle For Environment) and the need to adopt sustainable and environment-friendly lifestyles as highlighted by the honourable prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi. Underscoring India’s sustained efforts to mitigate marine litter, she mentioned that the large-scale ‘Jan Bhagidari’ (People’s Movement) initiative stands as a testament to India’s commitment to preserving coastal and marine ecosystems during its G20 Presidency.

India also seeks to enhance collaboration among G20 nations in promoting sustainable ocean management and marine biodiversity conservation.

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The eThekwini Municipality was represented by Eric Applegreen, head of the department- international and governance relations at eThekwini Municipality.

Applegreen appreciated India’s commitment to promoting international cooperation in addressing the challenges of environmental pollution and climate change. He reiterated the fact that every small step that we take towards preserving and conserving nature would come back to us in a big way.

Consul general of the USA, HE Anne Linnee highlighted that every single action of humans has an impact on nature and oceans including what products we choose to consume and how we use them matters too. She mentioned that the ‘Blue Economy’ is estimated at $3 trillion by 2030 and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal has an enormous coastline that they could benefit from. She said that India took a positive and powerful role in the G20 presidency.

Scientist and lecturer, Trevor Ganesan Govender from Mangosuthu University of Technology explained that oceans hold 90 percent of the biomass of the world and the oceans’ micro-algae is the major producer of the planet’s lifeline- oxygen. This initiative under the Indian G20 presidency to protect oceans is very significant considering the number of livelihoods dependent on it.

Prof Akash Anandraj from the Mangosuthu University of Technology explained the damaging effects of microplastics not only on marine life but also on humans through the food chain. Therefore, he stressed that there is an urgent need to protect our oceans from plastic.

More than 850 people including school children from Maidstone Primary School, Lyndhurst Primary School, Durban Girls College, Glenwood School, and university students from Durban University of Technology, actively participated in the beach clean-up drive and jointly collected over 3, 000 kgs of marine litter.

Civil society organisations in Durban working on conservation- Adopt a River, and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife was also part of the campaign and supported this entire programme.

MANCOSA’s volunteers guided the participants throughout the beach clean-up drive. An ‘open air’ marine animal awareness exhibition was also arranged, which was visited by hundreds of people.

Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Durban also organised ‘Yoga on the Beach’ to promote holistic wellness and healthy lifestyle among the local community.