GVMC Opts for Manual Beach Cleaning to Protect Olive Ridley Turtles

Visakhapatnam: With an aim to protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has decided to opt for manual cleaning of the beaches in the city, instead of the mechanical cleaning currently being used.

As part of this initiative, the GVMC has decided to put an end to mechanical beach cleaning activities at Ramakrishna Beach, Sagar Nagar, Pasha Uppada, and Pedanagamayyapalem beaches and took steps for manual cleaning. The manual cleaning, which is being taken up as part of the EcoVizag programme, will continue till May end, said the officials

At a media briefing here on Monday, the GVMC officials said that the decision to introduce manual cleaning would help to preserve the rare Olive Ridley turtles. The Olive Ridley turtles reach the coastal areas of Visakhapatnam every year in October and November to lay their eggs, raise their offspring, and again go back to the sea with their hatchlings in May.