28-Jul-2022: Problem of Marine Pollution

The Governments of India, Singapore, and Australia jointly organized an online EAS Marine Plastic Debris workshop on 14th and 15th February 2022. About 100 participants from thirteen countries participated in the workshop and deliberated on four different themes:

• The magnitude of the marine litter problem: monitoring programs and research on plastic debris in the Indo-Pacific Region.
• Best practices, novel approaches, and solutions to prevent plastic pollution.
• Polymers and plastics: technology and innovations.
• Opportunities for regional collaboration to remediate or stop plastic pollution.

Marine Litter is monitored in coastal water, sediment, beach, and biota and analyzed for micro/ meso/ macro plastics pollution. An increase in the abundance of microplastics observed along the east coast during the monsoon with relatively higher concentrations at river mouth. Urban beaches have higher accumulation rates than rural beaches. Under the pan India coastal monitoring, beach clean-up activities at regular intervals to assess the marine litter from 2018-2022, it was found that the majority of the waste with more than 50% composition was contributed by Single-Use Plastics (SUPs).

Ministry of Earth Sciences through its attached office National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) has initiated monitoring of temporal and spatial distribution of marine litter and plastic debris along the Indian coasts and adjacent seas. The research so far indicates that plastic debris is spread along entire water column and sediment and high quantities are noticed during monsoon due to its spread into coastal water through creeks/rivers/estuaries by rainwater.

Low cost floating debris traps at small river mouths, creeks and canals to prevent the inflow of the plastic to the sea was installed and trapping floating debris in the harbour and port areas can be deployed to trap the floating plastics and debris.

The participants agreed that litter pollution being transboundary, collaborative action plans are important for combating this menace. The following suggestions were given:

• Ban on single-use plastic, behavioural changes in plastic use
• Technology can track or stop plastic from entering our oceans
• Initiate activities at a local level, regional level, national and international level.
• Local placed-based solutions to tackle the issues
• Responsibility needs to extend high up in the supply chain and change in behaviour to the plastic used in packaging by brands/producers.
• Strengthening baseline information through monitoring programs and research to inform policymakers
• Sharing of plastic monitoring data which helps to build a dataset to countermeasure and reduce ocean plastics
• Identify and develop technologies for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic
• Enforcement of policy and regulation
• Enhancement of waste management system.
• Enhancing the dialogue between countries
• Technology that innovates the repurposing, recycling, and reuse of plastic waste Citizen science, education, community program, and outreach

27-Jul-2022: Marine Pollution

National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), an attached office of MoES, is collecting the real-time information on coastal water quality by deploying water quality buoys at 10m water depth in coastal waters. The collected data is shared with the State Pollution Control Boards.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has instructed all the coastal State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) of the Union Territories for developing an action plan for prevention of coastal pollution. NCCR, MoES is assisting SPCBs and PCCs in this exercise.

NCCR has taken up several initiatives to augment the scientific and research capabilities.

1. For continuous water quality observations, a network of water quality buoys is being deployed along the coast.
2. Along with the traditional methods of identification and analysis of biological samples, advanced techniques like use of molecular tools are being employed.
3. Collaborations with leading oceanography institutes of the world (JAMSTEC, Japan; CeFAS, United Kingdom; NIVA, Norway)
4. New research programs like Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Litter Monitoring, Coastal Flooding have been initiated.

The following measures are being implemented:

1. Preparation of action plans by the coastal states and Union Territories to reduce marine pollution.
2. Deployment of water quality buoys to get real-time information on coastal water quality.
3. Scientific exercise has been taken up to study the marine outfalls along the Indian coast to check the compliance in respect to existing standards and update the standards to prevent deterioration of coastal waters. Clean coast campaigns are taken up regularly to create awareness among the public and stakeholders to keep the beaches and coastal areas clean.

15-Feb-2022: India, Australia, and Singapore come together to address marine pollution with a focus on plastic debris

The Government of India, in partnership with the Government of Australia and the Government of Singapore, conducted an international workshop on combating marine pollution focusing on marine plastic debris on February 14-15, 2022. The workshop, held virtually, bought together the world’s leading experts, scientists, government officials with policy expertise, and representatives from industry, innovation and informal sectors. It aimed to discuss research interventions toward monitoring and assessing marine litter and plausible sustainable solutions to address the global marine plastic pollution issue.

The workshop had four major sessions; the magnitude of the marine litter problem-monitoring program and research on plastic debris in the Indo-Pacific Region; best practices and technologies; solutions to prevent plastic pollution; and polymers and plastics: technology and innovations and opportunities for regional collaboration to remediate or stop plastic pollution. The sessions involved panel discussions and interactive break-out sessions to encourage discussion amongst participants from East Asia Summit countries.

The East Asia Summit (EAS) is the premier forum for discussions on important strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific and a leading confidence-building mechanism. Since its inception in 2005, the EAS has been advocating regional peace, security, closer regional cooperation and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region. The EAS is uniquely placed to share expertise and lessons learned between regions and sub-regions faced with interlinked and similar challenges to develop sustainable transboundary solutions. EAS countries recognise the coastal and marine plastic pollution challenge. The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, had announced the agenda of promoting maritime cooperation in the wider Indo-Pacific region at the 14th EAS held in Bangkok in November 2019. India, Singapore, and Australia are committed to implementing the EAS decisions.

This workshop provided an impetus to EAS countries for exploring and informing each other about the challenges, questions, and solutions to marine litter – especially plastic research, use, design, disposal, recycling, and future collaborations for a plastic-free and healthy ocean for sustainable development through knowledge partners – the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai, an attached office of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), the Government of Singapore and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, delivered the keynote address at the workshop. He suggested considering the application of technological tools such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence and machine learning to map the distribution of marine plastics and developing models to understand the dynamics of plastics in the Indian ocean. He also emphasized that a well-designed and tailor-made management strategy considering regional distinctiveness will significantly reduce plastics in the environment.