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The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Puducherry: Eden Beach at Chinna Veerampattinam faces coastal erosion again
Eden Beach, one of the few Blue Flag-certified beaches in the country, located at Chinna Veerampattinam, is once again facing the problem of coastal erosion after the sea began inching closer to the shore in the first week of April. The impact of the erosion this time was so high that the basement of a concrete structure constructed at the beach to hoist the Blue Flag, following the certification by Denmark-based non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), caved in, leading to the removal of the flag itself. The FEE accords the status to beaches across the world based on certain parameters, including eco-friendliness and safety. 'The sea water began entering the beach in the first week of April, and as days passed, the intensity of water entering the coast increased rapidly, leading to the collapse of the basement of the concrete structure. A similar situation occurred in 2022 too, but its intensity was not as high,' said a resident of Chinna Veerampattinam. Seasonal reversal of littoral currents According to former director of National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) M.V. Ramana Murthy, the erosion in the area was due to seasonal changes in littoral current. Whenever there is a seasonal change, localised erosion would occur at Eden Beach. 'The observed erosion at Eden Beach is due to seasonal reversal of littoral currents in the month of April, which is localised, and it has happened earlier too. It is always recommended to keep away facilities from the zone of seasonal changes, and the same has been intimated to the Puducherry government in previous instances,' he added. The erosion at Eden Beach has found a reference in a report titled 'Management of Coastal Erosion along the Union Territory of Puducherry: Shoreline Management Plan', prepared jointly by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and NCCR, last year. The shoreline change analysis, carried out using satellite data from 1990 to 2022, has indicated the beach to be in 'a low erosion to stable transmission region.' A small erosion was also reported in 2017, the report said. 'A proper understanding of the coast and its influencing factors is necessary before developing coastal infrastructure. Generally, the construction of coastal infrastructure for tourism and other activities is to be avoided in erosion stretches,' the report said. However, the report noted that if development has to be carried out in that specific location, a proper estimation of the long and short-term erosion rate has to be understood. And based on the erosion rate, effective coastal protection measures could be provided, it said. Mitigation measures Minister for Public Works and Tourism K. Lakshminarayanan told The Hindu that the government was aware of the situation at Eden Beach, and mitigation measures are being worked out. 'We will immediately take up measures after taking into consideration coastal regulation rules. The mitigation measures are also being taken up in other hamlets where costal erosion was reported,' he said.
Pembrokeshire Herald
15-05-2025
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Pembrokeshire beaches best in Wales with 17 Coast Awards
County scoops highest number of accolades in national environmental honours PEMBROKESHIRE has been officially named home to the best beaches in Wales, securing a record-breaking 17 Wales Coast Awards in 2025—more than any other part of the country. The results, released today (Thursday) by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, recognise coastal locations across Wales for exceptional environmental standards, excellent water quality, and a commitment to education and sustainability. Out of the 49 beaches honoured across Wales, Pembrokeshire claimed 10 of the 21 Blue Flag Awards, including well-known locations such as Tenby South and North, Poppit Sands, Broad Haven (North), Newgale, Dale, Whitesands and Coppet Hall. Saundersfoot and Tenby Castle beaches are also celebrating their 25th consecutive year holding Blue Flag status—an international mark of environmental quality administered by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). All of Pembrokeshire's Blue Flag beaches have successfully retained their awards from last year. In addition to its Blue Flag successes, Pembrokeshire also leads Wales in the number of Green Coast Awards, which are given to more remote, unspoilt beaches with high environmental standards. Of the 13 Green Coast Awards presented this year, seven went to Pembrokeshire beaches: Aberiddy, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Penally, Caerfai, Druidstone and West Angle Bay. The Green Coast Award celebrates lesser-known, 'hidden gem' beaches that offer natural beauty alongside excellent water quality and environmental care. Keep Wales Tidy has managed the Wales Coast Awards for over 20 years. The awards play a vital role in protecting the Welsh marine environment and are internationally recognised as a symbol of quality. To qualify, beaches must meet rigorous criteria on water quality, public information, environmental education, safety, and site management. In addition to the Blue Flag and Green Coast accolades, 15 beaches across Wales earned the Seaside Award—a UK-only honour that signifies clean, attractive, and well-managed stretches of coastline. This year's Seaside Award winners include Aberystwyth South and North, New Quay Harbour, Aberavon in Neath Port Talbot, and Whitmore Bay and Jackson's Bay in Barry Island. Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, praised Pembrokeshire's outstanding performance. 'The Wales Coast Awards are a fantastic celebration of Wales' beautiful and diverse coastline,' he said. 'They are testament to the huge effort of staff and volunteers at sites across Wales. Thank you to everyone who works so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.' Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents' Services at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: 'We are incredibly proud to once again receive the highest number of Wales Coast Awards. Pembrokeshire is rightly recognised as being home to some of the world's best beaches, but it takes hard work and year-round commitment to maintain these standards and secure prestigious awards like the Blue Flag and Green Coast.' 'We look forward to welcoming both residents and visitors to our outstanding beaches this summer.' A full list of this year's award-winning beaches is available on the Keep Wales Tidy website.
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Leader Live
Denbighshire and Anglesey beaches among Wales' best at awards
Environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy announced the recipients of its annual Coast Awards on Thursday (May 15). A total of 49 sites received awards: A post shared by Wales Coast Awards (@walescoastawards) Blue Flag Award The Blue Flag Award is one of the world's most recognised awards for beaches, marinas and boats. It is awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to beaches that adhere to specific criteria that ensures the beach or marina is: Seaside Award The Seaside Award is a UK-only beach award available in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Its distinctive yellow and blue flag signifies a clean, attractive and well-managed coastal stretch, with a good standard of water quality, public facilities, safety provision and management. Green Coast Award Green Coast Awards celebrates the "hidden gems" of the Welsh coastline and shows a site is: The 49 sites that received a Wales Coast Award in 2025 are: Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, Owen Derbyshire, said: "The Wales Coast Awards are a fantastic celebration of Wales' beautiful and diverse coastline and are testament to the huge effort of staff and volunteers at sites across Wales. "Thank you to everyone who works so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.' There were three beaches in North Wales named among the nation's best at the Coast Awards: Silver Bay was one of 13 beaches in Wales to receive a Green Coast Award. (Image: Getty Images) Silver Bay, in Rhoscolyn, was one of 13 locations in Wales to receive a Green Coast Award in 2025. Keep Wales Tidy describes the private beach, located in the Silver Bay Holiday Park, as one of the "hidden gems" of the Welsh coastline. It added: "The Green Coast Award marks Silver Bay as an exceptional place to enjoy stunning scenery, rich coastal heritage and diversity. "It joins the likes of Mwnt and Penbryn in Ceredigion and Freshwater East and Manobier in Pembrokeshire in being commended for unspoilt beauty, excellent water quality and a high standard of environmental education." Prestatyn Central was also recognised among Wales' best beaches in the 2025 Coast Awards. (Image: Tripadvisor) Prestatyn Central was recognised among the best in Wales with a Seaside Award. The North Wales beach is described as a "much-loved tourist destination" and is popular for its wide, sandy beaches and water sports (including surfing, sailing and windsurfing). Prestatyn Central boasts a 4.3 (out of 5) rating on Tripadvisor from 84 reviews (at the time of writing). One person described it as "my favourite beach", before adding: "This is a lovely Beach, my husband grew up staying with his nan & grandad during the school holidays at Lido beach caravan park so it's always been a favourite. "It's clean, tidy and my grandchildren love it. Will continue to visit this for years to come." RECOMMENDED READING: Secret North Wales beach named among the best in the UK and a must visit The 2 'beautiful' North Wales beaches with 'golden sand' among the UK's best Seaside town in North Wales with 'surprisingly blue waters' among UK's prettiest Rhyl East, which is a "long-sandy stretch of coastline", also received a Seaside Award in 2025. It was also commended for its dedicated zone for beach sport activities including kite surfing, wind surfing and kayaking.
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Wales Online
Full list of Welsh beaches with Blue Flag status in 2025
Full list of Welsh beaches with Blue Flag status in 2025 More than 20 beaches have achieved the accolade though it's three less than 2024 The stunning beach at Tresaith has retained its Blue Flag (Image: John Myers ) More than 20 beaches in Wales have achieved the prestigious Blue Flag status for 2025, it has been announced. The accolade is managed internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education, based in Denmark, and is regarded as one of the most recognised awards for beaches, marinas and boats. The Welsh beaches handed the status have been officially named by Keep Wales Tidy, which said to receive one of these awards: "A beach, marina or tourism boat operator must meet and maintain the highest environmental standards and achieve tough water quality targets." This year 21 Welsh locations have been named in the list, which includes beaches across the world The Welsh county most represented in the awards is Pembrokeshire with 10 beaches, while Swansea has four, Bridgend and Ceredigion each have three and Carmarthenshire has one. Although this is very impressive, last year 24 locations in Wales received Blue Flag awards, meaning three beaches no longer have the status. It is understood that Aberystwyth South and Prestatyn Central missed out this year, but were instead awarded with Seaside Awards. Article continues below These are national environmental awards which focus on overall beach quality, including cleanliness, facilities, and safety. It is understood that privately-owned Penarth Marina, which received a Blue Flag in 2024, did not apply this year. Here are all the beaches that received Blue Flag status in 2025. Beaches awarded the Blue Flag Pembrokeshire Newgale Saundersfoot Dale Whitesands Coppet Hall Tenby South Tenby North Tenby Castle Poppit Sands Broadhaven North Swansea Caswell Bay Langland Bay Port Eynon Swansea Marina Bridgend Rest Bay Trecco Bay Porthcawl Marina Ceredigion Borth Llangrannog Tresaith Carmarthenshire Article continues below Cefn Sidan Beaches no longer with Blue Flag status Aberystwyth south (Seaside Award) Prestatyn Central (Seaside Award) Penarth Marina
The Star
13-05-2025
- The Star
487 beaches in Italy labelled Blue Flag for environmental excellence in 2025
ROME, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 487 beaches in Italy have been awarded the "Blue Flag" eco-label for 2025, recognizing high standards in environmental sustainability, cleanliness, and safety, the Italian branch of the Foundation for Environmental Education said on Tuesday. These beaches are spread across 246 seaside municipalities and 84 tourist resorts, according to the new report unveiled at the National Institute of Research. Italy's share accounts for approximately 11.5 percent of all Blue Flag beaches worldwide. The latest figure also marks an increase from last year, when 485 beaches and 236 municipalities were honored. The regions with the highest number of awarded sites were Liguria in the northwest, with 33 locations, and Apulia in the southeast, with 27. Launched in Europe in 1987, the Blue Flag initiative has expanded to include 51 countries. It promotes sustainable coastal tourism by recognizing cities, marinas, and water-based resorts for excellence in environmental protection, water and land management, public services, and climate adaptation strategies.
