Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], Sept. 19 : Navy personnel and civilians came out onto the beach over the weekend to clean up the shores on International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Volunteers from Indian Coast Guard, civil society groups and students took part in a clean-up drive at Rama Krishna Mission beach here.

The volunteers picked up garbage from the shore, including cigarette butts, plastic bags and wrappers among others.

"This International Coastal Cleanup Day is an effort towards that (cleaning up coasts) and it is traditionally conducted on the third Saturday of September, which is being conducted from many years now. In Vizag ( Visakhapatnam) the Indian Navy has taken a lead in coordinating various activities, where large numbers of beaches and large number of volunteers, three thousand plus from the navy itself and so many others from other organizations (are taking part),"said Vice-Admiral H.C.S. Bisht, Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command.

Navy personnel took the lead in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where they led a similar clean-up drive.

Inspector General, East Zone, Indian Coast Guard, Rajan Bargotra, said it is the responsibility of all to keep the areas near seas clean.

"Today's awareness program would bring in some encouragement to the people to see to it that they should not be part of that type of the system (where) we throw something somewhere and it land(s) up somewhere (else). We are very-very hopeful that this will give up positive contribution in improving the cleanliness of the coastal beaches," said Bargotra.

Meanwhile, school students and volunteers cleaned beaches in Mumbai too.

Every year, the beaches across the city are left particularly polluted after devotees immerse idols of Hindu god Ganesha at the end of a 10-day- long festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.

"We have come here to pick up trash like plastic, POP (Plaster of Paris), flowers etc, and we are disposing them off," said student volunteer, Ridansh.

Oceans have long been used as a dumping ground of all sorts of wastes, disturbing the marine life. Pollution of the seas poses a serious threat to marine habitats and creatures.

Nationwide, a total of 19,225 volunteers participated in International Coastal Cleanup Day 2015. School and college students formed the largest chunk of volunteers. (ANI)