Extreme weather events in India may be transporting more plastic litter into oceans, warn experts

What is the News?

According to a study, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and cyclones may be transporting a significant amount of plastic litter into the sea.

Plastic Production in India

Plastic production in India began in the late 1950s. Its consumption increased 20 times to 18.45 metric tonnes in 2018 from 0.9 metric tonnes in 1990.

The link between Plastic Litter in Sea and Extreme Weather Events

Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and cyclones may be transporting a significant amount of plastic litter into the sea.

For instance, around 0.1 million tonnes of debris, including plastics, were deposited along Chennai’s coast in the aftermath of the 2015 Chennai floods.

The microplastic content on Chennai’s beaches increased three times due to increased river runoff.

What are the suggestions given by the report?

Firstly, understand the source and distribution of plastics to implement mitigation policies.

Secondly, Ban Plastics: Currently, 18 Indian states and union territories in India have completely banned plastic carry-bags and products while five other states have partially prohibited them.

– However, major plastic polluters such as Gujarat, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh have still not issued a notification to ban single-use plastics.

Thirdly, implement policies to tackle the plastic problem, as climate change is expected to increase extreme weather events.

Source: The post is based on the article “Extreme weather events in India may be transporting more plastic litter into oceans, warn experts” published in Down To Earth on 3rd June 2022.