As the world unites onWorld Environment Day 2025 to champion sustainability, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) stands at the forefront of marine conservation, reinforcing its commitment to protecting India’s vast coastal heritage. With an extensive coastline stretching over 11,000 km, the nation’s marine ecosystems—including coral reefs, mangroves, and nesting beaches—serve as critical lifelines for biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.
This year’s theme on world environment day, #BeatPlasticPollution, underscores the urgency of tackling marine contamination. Responding to this global call, the ICG, under flagship national campaigns such as SwachhSagarSurakshitSagar, PuneetSagarAbhiyan, and Mission LiFE, has conducted over 58 major coastal clean-up operations, successfully removing more than 194 tonnes of plastic waste last year. These initiatives actively engage youth, fishermen, and local communities, fostering collective responsibility for ocean health.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) also serves as the nation’s frontline defense against environmental disasters at sea, swiftly responding to oil spills, chemical hazards, and marine pollution incidents. Equipped with specialized Pollution Control Vessels—SamudraPrahari, SamudraPaheredar, and SamudraPavak—the ICG deploys Tier-I mitigation strategies to contain, recover, and neutralize pollutants before they cause irreversible ecological damage. Through the biannual NATPOLREX exercises, the ICG fosters seamless inter-agency coordination, ensuring over 50 national stakeholders are prepared for large-scale pollution response efforts. By integrating environmental protection into its core maritime security framework, the ICG safeguards vital ocean ecosystems, preserves biodiversity, and reinforces India’s commitment to sustainable maritime governance.
Beyond pollution mitigation, the Indian Coast Guard undertakes vital wildlife conservation missions to maintain ecological balance. Operation Olivia, in 2025, successfully safeguarded over 6.98 lakh nesting olive ridley turtles along Odisha’s coast, preventing entanglement in ghost nets and illegal fishing practices. In the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, ICG units conduct anti-poaching operations, combatting illicit trade of protected marine species such as sea cucumbers, corals, and giant clams. By strengthening surveillance and enforcement, these efforts ensure the preservation of fragile marine biodiversity and coastal ecosystems.
Every mission, every cleanup, and every act of protection embodies the Indian Coast Guard’s enduring commitment to defending not only the seas but the lives they sustain. As India commemorates World Environment Day 2025, the ICG urges citizens to take actionreduce plastic consumption, participate in conservation efforts, and become stewards of the oceans.
The health of our planet begins with the health of our seas.
