Abstract
BackgroundThe Thondi coast is rich in valuable natural marine resources and socio-economically significant activities like agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing. The area receives an excess of untreated solid and liquid waste as a result of these activities. The study focuses on the abundance, distribution, and status of the Clean-Coast Index (CCI) of marine debris from the Thondi coast, Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India. This is the first research work focused on assessing the type and quantity of marine debris on the Thondi coast.ResultsA total of 1636 marine debris items/m2 and their 4.09 concentration of the items/m2 were determined in the marine debris: plastics (77.49%), cotton swabs (8.62%), cigarette butts (10.15%), and food containers (3.73%). From the result, the CCI had ranged between 4.25 (clean) and 20.4 (extremely dirty) with a mean of 8.92 (moderate) in the Thondi coast assessed.ConclusionThis study was conducted for the first time in this region. Finally, the high CCI value of 20.4 on the coast indicated that the marine debris pollution levels were high at the time of sampling in the middle part of the Thondi coast (most of the beaches are covered with plastic) due to land-based marine debris (62.45%), sea-originated marine debris (21.14%), and unknown sources (16.41%) of the items. Our findings served as a baseline for potential evaluations of the marine environment. Input prevention should be the goal of management efforts, including proper waste management, plastic recycling, and stringent penalties for illegal waste dumping.
Highlights
The Thondi coast is rich in valuable natural marine resources and socio-economically significant activities like agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing
No debris is seen No debris is seen over a large area A few pieces of debris can be detected A lot of debris on the shore Most of the beach is covered with plastic land-based, sea-based, and unknown sources
The land-based marine debris was reported for 62.45% of the items, sea-originated marine debris examined for 21.14% items, and marine debris 16.41% items could not be identified (Fig. 3)
Summary
The Thondi coast is rich in valuable natural marine resources and socio-economically significant activities like agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing. The study focuses on the abundance, distribution, and status of the Clean-Coast Index (CCI) of marine debris from the Thondi coast, Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India. This is the first research work focused on assessing the type and quantity of marine debris on the Thondi coast. The CCI had ranged between 4.25 (clean) and 20.4 (extremely dirty) with a mean of 8.92 (moderate) in the Thondi coast assessed. Our oceans and rivers are clogged with a range of aquatic waste, from soda cans and plastic bags to discard fishing gear and ships. The annual amount of plastic waste entering the marine environment from
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