Context: 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.
• The sources of plastics reaching India’s water bodies range from textiles to beauty products. “However, much more research needs to be done to understand the sources of microplastics.”
• India is also considered one of the major plastic polluters to the ocean, the experts said in their report, adding that there’s a gap in the understanding of the source, distribution and dynamics of plastics.

Key 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.

• The enforcement mechanism developed and adopted at the state level will play a key role in converting policy into ground reality.

By: Shubham Tiwari