In a bid to increase awareness among people of diverse underwater flora and fauna, Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) has sent a proposal to the Union ministry of environment and forests.
In a bid to increase awareness among people of diverse underwater flora and fauna, Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) has sent a proposal to the Union ministry of environment and forests to build a marine oceanarium at Dwarka coast in Jamnagar district.
"We have a vast coastline of 1,600 km, which has diverse sea creatures and corals. However, awareness is very low among people and that is the reason we have proposed to build an oceanarium at the Dwarka coast," Director of GEC CH Pandya said..
"We have submitted a proposal of building oceanarium under the Marine Research and Information Centre to be set up at Dwarka under the Union government scheme of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP)," Pandya said. GEC has made the proposal after a pre-feasibility study conducted by KPMG had given a positive response.
On the Gujarat coast, a wide range of sea creatures like whale shark, different kinds of fishes, sea turtles are found, Pandya said, adding however, people especially students have very little awareness about underwater creatures. Besides, there is a wide variety of coral on the Gujarat coast, which is also under danger due to rapid industrialisation, pressure of human expansion and also pollution, he said.
"The construction of the oceanarium will have a very big impact on the conservation of underwater flora and fauna as it will increase awareness among people as well as students to join in the efforts to protect it," Pandya said.
"We have chosen Dwarka for the oceanarium project as it is a renowned pilgrimage place and a large number of tourists come to Dwarka throughout the year," he said. "Those touring Dwarka will have the benefit of visiting the marine oceanarium."
The ministry of environment and forests has chosen the state, along with West Bengal and Orissa, for implementing the ICZMP. The project, to be funded by the World Bank, will promote an integrated multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach for coastal zone management. "We are hoping that the Union government will approve the project," Pandya said.
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