Chennai Marina Beach May Get Pilot Blue Flag Tag Over High Water Bacteria Levels

The phase one revamp of Marina beach in Chennai may miss out on full international Blue Flag certification and instead receive a 'Pilot Blue Flag' or 'Blue Flag without bathing' status after failing to meet key water-quality benchmarks.

A senior Greater Chennai Corporation official confirmed that during a recent review by the national jury, the Marina beach project satisfied most of the 33 international criteria but fell short on two out of five water-quality requirements.

The unmet norms require that industrial, urban wastewater, or sewage discharges do not affect the designated beach zone, and that the waters comply with strict microbiological limits for Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci. Corporation officials noted that the beach's proximity to the Cooum river has made meeting these specific environmental criteria challenging.

Water-quality testing conducted by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management at the Blue Flag zone of Marina beach revealed bacterial levels exceeding allowable limits. E. coli was recorded at 320 CFU/100 ml, which is 1.28 times higher than the prescribed cap of 250 CFU/100 ml. Intestinal enterococci was measured at 320 CFU/100 ml, standing 3.2 times above the permissible limit of 100 CFU/100 ml. The sample also registered a pH of 7.76, dissolved oxygen at 6.43 mg/l, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) at 4.27 mg/l, and turbidity of 56.5 NTU.

The national jury agreed to pitch for certification after the civic body presented inter-departmental measures being undertaken by the state government to improve water quality. A final determination on the pilot status will be made by the international jury.

A pilot status serves as a trial and preparatory phase during which civic authorities develop infrastructure and work to meet all 33 criteria. Marina's revamp is planned across five phases, with works completed in two phases and underway in the remaining three. An application has currently been submitted only for the first phase.