Volunteers and Corporation staff battled hard on Wednesday also to collect and remove marine debris which continued to wash up at Kovalam.
According to the Valiyathura-based organisation Friends of Marine Life (FML), more than five tonnes of waste have so far washed up on the beach. An audit by FML revealed 80 different types of waste.
Plastic, nylon, PVC, rubber, polyester, leather and thermocol wastes accounted for 90% of the trash.
Medical wastes, drift wood, iron, tin, toys, school bags, flex hoardings, carpets, electric cables, rubber tubes and even umbrellas are among the piled up waste.
“Plastic bottles number around 20,000. Nine types of fishing nets and five types of ropes were also identified in the trash,” FML convener Robert Panipilla said.
FML’s preliminary conclusion is that unscientific pre-monsoon cleaning in the urban areas, on which the government spends lakhs of rupees, is proving to be a threat to the marine ecosystem.
“This calls for urgent policy measures to protect the marine environment,” Mr. Panipilla said.