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Spatiotemporal variation of macroplastic debris on recreational beaches of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India
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Researchers tracked plastic litter on two beaches in Ratnagiri, India for a year and found that pollution nearly doubled during monsoon season, mostly from plastic bags and packaging washed in by rivers. While these beaches are cleaner than famous tourist spots like Goa and Mumbai, the trend signals that fast-growing coastal towns need better waste management now—before plastic buildup worsens and breaks down into microplastics that can enter seafood and, ultimately, our bodies.
Marine plastic pollution is a global crisis; however, baseline data remain heavily skewed towards major metropolitan hubs, leaving emerging coastal cities understudied. The present study addresses this critical gap by providing the first spatiotemporal assessment of plastic debris on the recreational beaches of Ratnagiri, India (Bhatye and Aare-Ware). Monthly sampling (n = 12) was conducted from June 2024 to May 2025 to quantify macro- and mesoplastics abundance. The results revealed a mean debris abundance of 0.173 ± 0.10 items/m at Bhatye and 0.166 ± 0.19 items/ m at Aare-Ware, with a corresponding mean weight of 5.02 ± 3.10 g/ m and 4.94 ± 4.81 g/ m, respectively. Significant seasonal heterogeneity was observed (p < 0.05), driven by the Southwest Monsoon. Plastic bags and packaging materials accounted for the largest share of the inventory, with the monsoon months showing nearly double the accumulation compared to that in the dry season. While the Clean Coast Index (CCI) generally classified the beaches as "Clean" to "Moderate," monsoon loads occasionally approached "Dirty" levels. Comparatively, the pollution load is several orders of magnitude lower than that of established tourist hubs such as Goa and Mumbai, classifying Ratnagiri as a region of emerging concern. The present study highlights the critical influence of riverine runoff and underscores the need for preventive management strategies in rapidly urbanizing Tier-2 coastal cities in India.
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