Hyderabad: Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences, in association with the Andhra University and Vignana Bharati (VIBHA) has launched the pilot phase of the NIRMaL sāgar programme (National Initiative for Remediation of Marine Litter), a clean ocean initiative to establish the first integrated marine litter tracking framework in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
The pilot program was inaugurated by the Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences in the presence of. M. Shribharat, Member of Parliament, Visakhapatanam and several other dignitaries
In his welcome address, Dr. T. M. Balakrishnan Nair, Director, INCOIS informed that by combining ocean modelling, satellite remote sensing, and AI/ML-based tools, the programme will identify marine litter hotspots, monitor, and forecast to support targeted clean-up and mitigation efforts.
Aligned with the Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar mission and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, NIRMAL sāgar aims to provide scientific inputs for a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient ocean, promote community participation, and policy support.
In the special address, Sribharat requested the technology and logistics support of the MoES to ensure that the plastic waste does not reach our oceans through open drains. Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Earth Sciences addressed the gathering via video conferencing. He thanked all the volunteers and officials in realising the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an Swatchh Sagar and Surakshit Sagar.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Srinivasa Kumar reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry towards nurturing cleaner and healthier oceans through various schemes and projects.
He also promised the support of the MoES to Visakhapatanam towards such objectives through the implementation of the programs like NIRMaL sagar. In this pilot phase, extensive scientific studies will be conducted in and around Visakhapatnam to identify the sources of the marine plastic litter, track their movement, identify potential regions of their accumulation and develop strategies to remove them and recycle the plastic waste to support circular economy.
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