Someshwara Beach : Beauty Engulfed by Pollution

When one thinks about beaches, the imagery that comes to mind is that of the clear waters, the blue sky that seems like  painted with clouds, the sun slowly bowing to set, the warm sand, people running about, a few playing away from the waters while a few let the waters touch their feet. It all gives a sense of peace, a feeling that no matter what is bothering them, the see will wash it clean. Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore. Clean is a word that can seldom be used for Someshwara Beach in Mangalore. Once a place filled with people for the love of its beauty is now that place where one can find more waste that engulfs the beauty. Plastic materials including bottles and bags are seen in every corner. No one would dare put their feet in the water that looks as though it has somehow become foam. The once clear sand is no more to be seen. What is left is what were littered on the beach and never bothered to be cleaned. 

What went wrong one may ask? When one goes to the beach, it is a time of relaxation, for many it is recreational, for the children it is a picnic. And to the picnic, one may bring packed, canned or store bought food that all comes covered in plastic packaging. After one is done unpacking and eating the food, what one must as a responsible citizen do is neatly fold the remains of food items in their respective plastic bags and take them back to be recycled or disposed in a way that it doesn’t harm mother nature. Unfortunately, what one thinks is, ” This is not a place that need to keep clean. Why bother taking so much effort keeping it clean? Let me just dump it here. What difference will it make if I put a few things here? Let me enjoy the view instead” This is what many people think on individualist basis. This piles up the waste on beach ground. As the water comes along the shore, they take with them the plastic bags as it retreats into the sea. These bags though small have the capacity to suffocate and kill marine beings and in turn affect the entire ecosystem. When they come back to the shore, they bring along the corpses of the marine creatures that have died. And this remains on the beach, leaving the beach dirty. The increased plastic matter over biodegradable material becomes a catalyst that lead to slower decay than normal rate causing pungent odour. Thus stripping Someshwara Beach of its beauty. 

Now that we have seen how the issue of pollution has come to be and how grave the situation actually is, it is now time for us to look into what it is that one must do to preserve these mighty water bodies and the creatures that the waters are home to. 

Effective waste management should be the number one priority. Segregating waste properly, disposing it only where it is supposed to be disposed and not on roads, beaches and other places that belong to the general public. Industrial waste should not be pumped into the waters as we have already lost enough water bodies to industrial waste pollution. We can’t afford to lose more. Our seas and oceans are very important parts of our ecosystem and we survive because they survive. Therefore it is important to reduce oil spills, water pollution and most importantly we must stop putting marine life at risk. 

Over the years humans have come up with millions of ways to take care of the waste generated all year round. Two of them include recycling and reusing items. Plastics should be recycled, clothes can be reused to reduce the pollution caused by fast fashion. Once we start using these products we so often consider waste more and more, we will be able to realise that things that are considered waste can also be put into good use. 

It is our duty as responsible citizens of the city of Mangalore to ensure that the Someshwara beach returns to its natural beauty and be stripped of pollution. As we all know plastic pollution is the main factor that causes such a ghostly scene at various beaches. We can reduce this by making sure that we do not use single-use plastics frequently and as mentioned earlier engage in recycling products. While all these things are easier said than done, it will be better if groups of people come together to undertake clean drives and in turn take care of their beaches as it’s always the more, the merrier. Moreover, work will get over faster when there are more people employed. While it is important to undertake such tasks, it is equally important to support bans that are pro- environment. 

Last but not the least, we must do our part in creating awareness. In trying times such as these when a mere virus has us all tied to our homes, social media is the major bridge between people and communication. Therefore communicating through social media platforms and in turn voicing out one’s opinions on pollution and the sort will help create awareness. It is extremely important to constantly remind people of eradicating pollution because it’s always easy to suddenly organise a clean drive and leave the beach to fend for itself for the rest of the year. Thus, by coming together to clean, we can keep mother earth, our one and only home in this universe clean and habitable not just for ourselves but also for other living beings. Let us keep Someshwara beach clean.