The international eco-label “Blue Flag”, has accorded the Blue Flag Certification for 2 new beaches this year –Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry beaches.

With this India now has 10 International Blue Flag beaches.

Which are the other 8 beaches?

1. Shivrajpur (Dwarka-Gujarat)
2. Ghoghla (Diu)
3. Kasarkod (Karnataka) [NOT Kasargod which is in Kerala] and
4. Padubidri (Karnataka)
5. Kappad (Kerala)
6. Rushikonda (AP)
7. Golden Beach (Odisha) and
8. Radhanagar (A&N Islands)

Blue Flag Beaches

• 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 certification is accorded by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education.
• It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987, and in areas outside Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
• It has 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches, that is, (i) Environmental Education and Information (ii) Bathing Water Quality (iii) Environment Management and Conservation and (iv) Safety and Services.

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