BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION

Subject: Environment

Context: India received the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certification for all its eight beaches that it recommended, the environment ministry said.

The beaches which have been awarded the certification are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden in Odisha and Radhanagar in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Concept :

• It is an international recognition conferred on beaches that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety.
• The ‘Blue Flag’ beach is an ‘eco-tourism model’ and marks out beaches as providing tourists and beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities, a safe and healthy environment and sustainable development of the area.
• The Blue Flag Programme was started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
• The certification is accorded by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education(International non profit organisaiton) with 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches, that are-

                Environmental Education and Information

                Bathing Water Quality

                Environment Management and Conservation

                Safety and Services

• Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches; Greece and France follow with 515 and 395 Blue Flag beaches, respectively.
• Previously, Japan and South Korea are the only countries in the south and southeastern Asia to have Blue Flag beaches. Now , India has also blue flag beaches.