Explained: What is Blue Flag certification, awarded to 8 Indian beaches?

Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar on Sunday (October 11) said: “It is an outstanding feat considering that no ‘Blue Flag’ nation has ever been awarded for 8 beaches in a single attempt…this is also a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts”.

Earlier this year, the Centre issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification declaring a list of activities and facilities that would be permissible in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas of certain beaches, which have been identified for obtaining the ‘Blue Flag’ certification.

What is the ‘Blue Flag’ certification?

The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that can be obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label. The certification is awarded by the Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education, which sets stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria that applicants must meet and maintain. It is awarded annually to beaches and marinas in FEE member countries.

The Blue Flag programme was started in France in 1985 and in areas out of Europe in 2001. The programme promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas through four main criteria: water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety.

Forty-seven countries currently participate in the program, and 4,573 beaches, marinas, and boats have this certification.

In its July 2019 notification, the Environment Ministry identified the following beaches in India for Blue Flag certification: Shivrajpur (Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat), Bhogave (Sindhudurg, Maharashtra), Ghoghla (Diu, Daman and Diu), Miramar (Panjim, Goa), Kasarkod (Karwar, Karnataka), Padubidri (Udupi, Karnataka), Kappad (Kozhikode, Kerala), Eden (Puducherry), Mahabalipuram (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Puri, Odisha), and Radhanagar (Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar).

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What activities are permitted in the CRZ of certain beaches?

According to the notification issued in January, the following activities and facilities would be permitted in the CRZ of the beaches, including islands, subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL):

(a) Portable toilet blocks, change rooms and shower panels;

(b) Grey water treatment plant;

(c) Solid waste management plant;

(d) Solar power plant;

(e) Purified drinking water facility;

(f) Beach access pathways;

(g) Landscaping lighting;

(h) Seating benches and sit-out umbrellas;

(i) Outdoor play / fitness equipment;

(j) CCTV surveillance and control room;

(k) First aid station;

(l) Cloak room facility;

(m) Safety watch towers and beach safety equipment;

(n) Beach layout, environment information boards and other signages;

(o) Fencing, preferably vegetative;

(p) Parking facilities;

(q) Entry gate, tourist facilitation centre; and

(r) Other associated facilities or infrastructure, as per requirements of Blue Flag Certification.

The notification also said that these activities and facilities would be exempt from prior clearance under the provisions of CRZ Notification, Island Protection Zone Notification and Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications.