Mahim Beach Committee request MLA Mr Warris Pathan to raise issue with Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra fadnavis on  why there delay in Marine litter policy for Maharashtra Beaches.Why delay in drafting Marine Policy

Need of Marine litter policy in Maharashtra.

Marine litter has become a serious issue of concern which requires attention and action in Maharashtra.

Marine litter are waste created by humans, which is discharged in coastal or marine environments. Litter are paper, textiles, glass, rubber, wood, metal, ceramics, plastics,Cigarette buds, plastic bags, fishing gear, food and beverage containers.60-90% of marine litter is made up of plastic polymers.

Marine litter may seriously damage the environment as well as human health. The majority of litter are non-degradable items – mainly plastics – which are deliberately discarded or accidentally lost. Small organisms living in the sea often mistake the tiny, possibly toxic particles of plastic litter for food and eat them. These microplastic pieces may then transfer along the food chain to other marine animals.

Marine litter has become the focus for many countries as scientists are saying that the marine plastic wastes will outnumber the fishes in the ocean in few years.There is need of reducing, reusing and recycling waste, instead of disposing it in seas.Stringent rules and regulations are need of the hour to control  situation of accumulating plastic debris in marine ecosystem.The state currently lacks policy that deals with collection and disposal of marine debris.

Marine litter Policy should be formulated to curb the issue of marine debris, one of the biggest threats to aquatic ecosystem.Researchers had found presence of micro-plastics inside fishes, indicating plastics had entered the marine food chain.Stringent rules and regulations are need of the hour to control this situation of accumulating plastic debris in the marine ecosystem.Marine debris netted by fishermen is the highest in Mumbai.The sea  is more turbid, which means the debris thrown into the water gets settled in the sea bed. When the trawlers throw the net deep into the sea, it brings up along with it all the debris that has got settled there.Microplastics can absorb and concentrate organic pollutants, which are known to cause cancer and birth defects, disrupt body’s tissues and organs.

Marine litter policy is necessary for  collection, segregation and treatment of garbage from beach areas along the state’s coastline, protection and rescue of marine species and penalties for those violating the law.Garbage, mainly plastic, has for decades choked our rivers and streams that ultimately flow into the ocean.

There are three types of marine litter: solid, liquid and microplastics. Once in the deep sea, marine litter becomes impossible to clean and wreaks havoc on the marine habitat.There is urgent need for action in Mumbai to prevent and reduce marine litter in order to preserve human health and marine and coastal ecosystems, and mitigate marine litter’s economic costs and impacts.Lack of effective solid waste management, wastewater treatment and storm water systems, and unsustainable production and consumption patterns, are primary land-based sources and pathways of marine litter.There is need of action to prevent and reduce marine litter of all kinds, including from single-use plastics and micro-plastics.Waste reduction and waste management, as well as waste water management, including storm water, deserve priority actions.