October 11, 2020 8:33:19 pm
Kozhikode’s Kappad Beach is one of Kerala’s major tourist attraction destinations. (Image Source: Kerala Tourism / Facebook)
Kappad Beach in Kerala’s Kozhikode district is one of eight beaches in India to have received the coveted ‘Blue Flag’ certification by an eminent international jury consisting of members of UNEP, UNWTO, FEE and IUCN .
The other seven beaches selected for the prestigious honor include Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).
The announcement was made by the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, who said: “It is an outstanding feat considering that no ‘Blue Flag’ nation has been awarded 8 beaches in a single attempt. .. this is also a recognition of the conservation and sustainable development efforts of India ”.
The jury also awarded India a “third prize” under “international best practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.
In July last year, the Indian government had shortlisted Kappad Beach out of 12 of those beaches for Blue Flag certification. Before this, no beach in the country had the Blue Flag certification.
Located away from the hustle and bustle of Kozhikode city in North Kerala, Kappad Beach is one of the most attracted tourist destinations in the state due to its topography of small rock formations and coconut trees that line the coast.
To be eligible for certification, the Ministry of the Environment had stated that specific facilities would be allowed as part of the infrastructure creation in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas of the beaches subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters of high tide. Line (HTL). These facilities include drinking water kiosks, changing rooms, container-based toilet blocks, off-grid photovoltaic solar panels, portable seating benches made from bamboo, umbrellas, watchtowers, and beach information billboards, among others.
In line with the coastal clearance, construction work on bamboo baths, watchtowers and stone-paved walkways had started in Kappad last year and was nearing completion.
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