Kovalam beach to be declared plastic-free area

KOCHI: The next time you visit Kovalam beach, don’t be surprised if you are fined for bringing your little plastic bag along. In a bid to promote environmentally and culturally-viable  tourism, the Tourism Department is set to declare Kovalam Beach a ‘plastic-free area’. The declaration will come on Tuesday, the World Tourism Day. This will make Kovalam the first major tourist destination in the state to be declared plastic-free. This will be a pilot    project for a similar campaign to be undertaken in other tourism destinations in the state.The ban will come into effect on November 1. In the intervening one month, the Tourism Department, along with the help of the local community and the industry, will take up   initiatives and campaigns to introduce the ban.  “Campaigns to make other major tourism destinations  plastic-free will be undertaken according to the progress  made on the pilot project. Kumarakom might be the next destination. But, there are many complexities involved. Banning plastic bags will be easier since there are   substitutes like cloth bags. But, banning plastic bottles  will be not that easy. For, there is no substitute for these.  Secondly, even if we manage to provide drinking water, the tourists are often reluctant to use them owing to safety concerns. There is a perceptual problem. In any case, we are  looking at installing water filters in the area and promote awareness campaigns,” said U V Jose, Planning Officer, Incharge, Department of Tourism.Community organisations like Kudumbashree and the Lions Club,  will be roped in to promote the campaign. The participation comes on the theme of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s theme for the year, ‘Tourism Linking Cultures’.  The development came at a meeting with the Chief Minister, the Ministry of Tourism, the tourism industry and various other stakeholders.