Introduction
Rushikonda Beach is located in Visakhapatnam on the coast of Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The beach is maintained by the state tourism board, APTDC. Rushikonda Beach is one among the 13 beaches in India, and the only one in the State, which was selected by the Union government for development to enable it for the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certification in the first phase. It had sanctioned ₹ 7.3 crore for development of infrastructure and the recent budget 2022 has allotted ₹50 Crores for the beach resorts development as per the reports.
According to the news articles, Amenities like bio-toilet blocks, grey water treatment, water vending kiosks for provision of purified water, solar treatment facilities, construction of walking and jogging tracks, bathing area and a solid waste management unit were provided at Rushikonda as part of the project.
What is a Blue flag certification?
The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that can be obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label. It is run by the international, non governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education), is awarded annually to FEE member countries based on the recommendations of an International jury which includes United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Blue Flag Programme started in France in 1985. It has been implemented in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside of Europe since 2001, when South Africa joined. Today, Blue Flag has become a truly global Programme, with an ever-increasing number of countries participating in it.
Why is it important?
A waving flag indicates full compliance to the 33 stringent criteria and sound health of the beach. International Blue Flag promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas through four main criteria: bathing water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, conservation and safety services in the beaches.
What are the 33 criteria for the Blue flag certification?
The four major categories are – Environmental Education and Information; Water Quality; Environmental Management; Safety and Services. A beach shall be awarded as an International Blue Flag beach based on its achievement of 33 imperative criteria.
I ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION
- Information about the Blue Flag Programme and other FEE awards must be displayed
- Environmental education activities must be offered and promoted to beach users
- Information about bathing water quality must be displayed.
- Information relating to local ecosystems, environmental elements and cultural sites must
be displayed - A map of the beach indicating different facilities must be displayed
- A code of conduct that reflects appropriate laws and/or regulations governing the use of
the beach and surrounding areas must be displayed.
II WATER QUALITY
- The beach must fully comply with the water quality sampling and frequency
requirements. - The beach must fully comply with the standards and requirements for water quality
analysis. - Industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges must not affect the beach area.
- The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for the microbiological
parameter Escherichia coli (faecal coli bacteria) and intestinal enterococci (streptococci). - The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for physical parameters.
III ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
- The local authority/beach operator should establish a beach management committee.
- The local authority/beach operator must comply with all laws and/or regulations affecting
the location and operation of the beach. - Sensitive areas must be managed
- The beach must be clean.
- Algal vegetation or natural debris must be left on the beach
- Waste disposal bins/containers must be available at the beach in adequate numbers and
they must be regularly maintained - Facilities for the separation of recyclable waste materials must be available at the beach.
- An adequate number of toilet or restroom facilities must be provided
- The toilet or restroom facilities must be kept clean.
- The toilet or restroom facilities must have controlled sewage disposal.
- There must be no unauthorised camping or driving and no dumping on the beach23.
Access to the beach by dogs and other domestic animals must be strictly controlled. - All buildings and beach equipment must be properly maintained.
- Marine and freshwater sensitive habitats (such as coral reefs or sea grass beds) in the
vicinity of the beach must be monitored. - A sustainable means of transportation should be promoted in the beach area
IV SAFETY AND SERVICES
- Appropriate public safety control measures must be implemented.
- First aid equipment must be available on the beach
- Emergency plans to cope with pollution risks must be in place.
- There must be management of different users and uses of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents.
- There must be safety measures in place to protect users of the beach and free access
must be granted to the public - A supply of drinking water should be available at the beach
- At least one Blue Flag beach in each municipality must have access and facilities provided for the physically disabled.
It is strongly recommended that all Blue Flag beaches have facilities that allow access by the physically disabled, granting them access to the beach, surrounding buildings, and the restroom facilities. It is a Blue Flag requirement that at least one beach in every municipality must provide these facilities. It is a Blue Flag recommendation that at this beach, if possible, there is access to the water for the physically disabled.
Access to the beach must be facilitated by access ramps designed for users with various disabilities. It is recommended that the ramp design and material fit the natural environment and, wherever possible, environmentally friendly materials are used, i.e. recycled composite plastics.
Facilities must be designed for wheelchair and other disabled users, and should comply with the ISO Standard Code for Access. The beach must comply with national regulations regarding access and facilities for people with disabilities. In addition, parking areas must have reserved spaces for disabled parking. If access ramps cannot be provided due to the topography, e.g. at steep cliffs, the local authority must apply for a dispensation for this criterion. If none of the Blue Flag beaches in a local authority can provide access and facilities for the disabled. a request for a dispensation for this criterion must be documented in the application.
Criteria numbers 30, 31 and 33 directly supports Accessibility in the mentioned 33 criteria for Blue Flag certification, hence shows the justification for prioritising accessibility in the development of Rushikonda Beach.
How is it monitored?
FEE- nominated representatives conduct regular monitoring and audits for compliance and thus, concerted efforts are required to qualify for Blue Flag Certification. The moment a ‘Blue Flag’ is hoisted on a beach, the mention is made in the global headquarters of FEE in Copenhagen, Denmark and thereby on the World Tourism Map.
Observations:
My recent visit to Rushikonda Beach was quite challenging in terms of Accessibility. Reached the place on a four wheeler accompanied by my cousin. Approachability to the location from a nearest bus stop:
The Layout:
Mapping of circulation at the location.
Parking:
It was difficult to find a vacant parking slot, my first observation was that there’s no accessible parking provided.
Bollards:
There were bollards near the parking area, making it difficult to cross and impossible for a wheelchair user.
Entrance towards Beachfront:
The entrance point has a Y junction, the left direction has a horizontal pole as a stopper, and the path leads towards the Beachfront. The right direction has bollards, the path towards the office and toilets. A display of the amenities at the place. Bollards were placed too close to each other makes impossible for wheelchair users, crutch users, a person with any walking aid, parents with a baby trolley, an obese person and many others.
Bathing and Changing Area:
Right opposite the stair access, there were paid bathing and Changing rooms Provided for public use.
Toilets:
Toilets were placed in a symmetrical manner, with gents and ladies on either side and a toilet cubicle for disabled people in the middle. There were no separate unisex toilets too.
The toilet block has multiple sets of toilet cubicles placed under one roof, the ramp to access the toilets was made of the bamboo mat and the railing was also made of bamboo.
Toilet (Persons with Disabilities):
There was one e-toilet cubicle provided at the centre of both the toilets and a toilet for disabledpeople. The toilet was locked and when I asked for the keys, the security suggested that I use the regular one. The level difference between the path and the entrance itself was uneven. And also the toilets were toward the extreme corner of the layout making them difficult to reach.
Entrance to the bay:
The entrance has 6 sets of stairs leading down towards the bay.
Stairs at the Bay entrance:
The stairs were having decent thread height but the sand made them uneven and slippery.
The relocation of the office was not updated on the Google maps which is the only reliable source for my transport. I had issues in travelling to multiple places in this regard due to lack of coordination in the APTDC Office.
I have visited APTDC office, I was sent to VMRDA office to reach APTDC Department and was told to reach another block to meet APTDC Regional Director. As there was no data available regarding the development plans of Rushikonda at the office, I was asked to revisit the office.
After studying and analysing the accessibility features for beaches abroad/India, here are some of the important ones to consider.
Checklist for Accessibility in Beaches/ Beach front:
● Accessible signage
● Reserved parking for disabled people
● Accessible route & meet points
● Access pathways/ramps
● Accessible toilets, counters and other Amenities
● Portable MobiMats
● Beach wheelchairs / ATWS
● Floating WaterWheels
● Ocean ramps / Sea tracks
● Deck and Umbrella
● Surf & scuba for disabled.
● Special Trained Lifeguards & life jackets
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References:
- The SDGs and Blue Flag, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), 2020, Available at <https://www.blueflag.global/s/The-SDGs-and-Blue-Flag_FINAL-7mbj.pdf> Accessed on 04th July 2022.
- Checklist of 33 criteria, Blue Flag India, Available at <http://blueflagindia.org/checklist-of-33-criteria/> Accessed on 05th July 2022.
- BLUE FLAG BEACH CRITERIA AND EXPLANATORY NOTES 2021, Blue Flag, Available at <https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55371ebde4b0e49a1e2ee9f6/t/5fbf70eee18c5c478ef4edfc/1606381808548/Beach+Criteria+and+Explanatory+Notes+2021.pdf> Accessed on 04th July 2022.
- Blue flag and Accessibility: Everyone welcome down by the sea, Blue Flag Global, Available at <https://www.blueflag.global/new-blog/2019/2/22/everyone-welcome-down-by-the-sea> Accessed on 04th July 2022.
- Rushikonda Beach gets ‘Blue Flag’, The Hindu, Available at <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/rushikonda-beach-gets-blue-flag/article32644250.ece> Accessed on 04th July 2022.
- Andhra Pradesh: Come clean on construction atop Rushikonda, GVL tells govt., The Hindu, Available at<https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/come-clean-on-construction-atop-rushikonda-gvl-tells-govt/article65487647.ece> Accessed on 04th July 2022.
- Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation invites bids for Rushikonda phase-II, The New Indian Express, Available at <https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2021/sep/09/aptdc-invites-bids-for-rushikonda-phase-ii-2356239.html> Accessed on 04th July 2022.