Golden Beach Puri -- Blue Flag Certified

Blue Flag Certification? What does it mean? Where can we find a Blue Flag Certified beach? How many certified beaches does India have?

Blue Flag Certification is a prestigious eco-label, awarded by Denmark's Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). It signifies beaches that meet strict criteria in areas like water quality, environmental management, safety, and environmental education, promoting sustainable coastal tourism.   Blue Flag Certification is given to beaches, marinas, boats and sustainable boating tourism operators worldwide. Ghumakkad recently visited the blue flag certified Golden Beach in Puri, on the east coast of India. 

Worldwide there are more than 5000 blue flag certified beaches with Spain leading the tally with 700+ beaches. India has 12 blue flag certified baches. See the map below.

Sharing below a short picture story of the Golden Beach in Puri. Enjoy the pictures, videos and do plan a trip to Puri. Don't miss the morning magic at the beach.

Here is a short video clip showing the pre-dawn panoramic view of the beach with the surf breaking close by.

Ghumakkad was part of the College Reunion in Puri. See another short video capturing the surf and few batchmates who were early risers at the beach.

Although approaching 75, the winter chill did not deter the 'young' batchmates from plunging into the sea. Short video clip shot by VK for you. Please pardon the camera shake.

Coming out of the sea, cold wind was biting. The teeth started to chatter while I shot the video below. Feel the chill and enjoy.

Beaches tell us to take a pause in life. Pause to reflect, pause to admire Nature. Pause to hear your inner voice.

Cleanliness

Entry to the beach is ticketed and visitors are fined for littering etc. It ensures cleanliness and upkeep of the beach.

Sustainable Coastal Ecosystem

Golden Beach at Puri meets the criteria of sustainable ecosystem. A two-km long walkway along the beach is a treat. With casuarinas to arrest the coastal winds and sand erosion, the walkway has been well conceived and maintained by a Beach Management Committee (BMC). The workers take pride in donning the BMC uniform.

The video below shows the sustaiable ecosystem including the amphitheatre. Whole beach is neat and clean. It can be done in India. Go Puri go!

Environmental Education

The beach has signages which bring out the words of advice from marine environment very imaginatively. See the pictures below.

Safety and First Aid

The beach caters for all safety aspects. There are life guards both male and female on the beach. In fact after kashi and I entered the water and were swimming afar, we heard a whistle. Someone was asking us not to swim. We ignored. This time two people blew their whistles. They were the life guards. We had entered the sea in a non-safe zone unknowingly. We later came to know that the safe zones are marked with a pair of yellow flags. Thankfully they did not fine us for the default. The beach has a proper first aid post.

The deadwood which gets washed ashore on a clean beach is left undisturbed. One such piece looked like a giant crab. See the picture below.

The Golden Beach is not very far from Jagannath temple in Puri. See the map below. We also visited Satapada for dolphin sighting in Chilka lake, which will be another story.

Our earlier story of two Blue flag certified beaches, can be accessed through the links below: Although Ghumakkad has been to four other certified beaches in Lakshadweep, Vizag and Kerala, I did not have digital camera then for posting the corresponding picture stories.

Radhanagar Beach - In Andamans, where the voice of the sea speaks to your soul.

Chandrabhaga Beach  - Picture story with video clips of a Blue Flag awarded beach in India.

Visit to a beach is so rejuvenating. If alone, you can speak to your self and hear your inner voice. If in a group, the whole group gets recharged. So, go ahead and plan a vacation at a beach. If it is blue flag certified, you are assured of the cleanliness and safety.

We end with a quotation by Martin Buber who said 'Solitude is the place of purification'. See the PQ of the beach at Surya Lanka near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh below.

 Thanks for browsing and stay connected. Do leave a comment, even a word or two will encourage us.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 30th Jan 2026

#BlueFlagCertification #FEEDenmark #Beaches #BlueFlag #SeaBeach #Solitude #Reunion #Odisha #GoldenBeach #Puri #BeachManagementCommittee #GhumakkadHarsh #Ghumakkadhb #environmentaleducation #BITSPilani #196873Batch #Batchmates 

Birding On A Bicycle

 Ever gone birding on a bicycle? Or, explored rural neighbourhood on a cycle? Most readers in urban areas would answer 'no'. But Armed Forces Veterans are different!

Meet Col Tushar Bhakay, a Veteran from Indian Army who cycles to newer destinations on his cycle regularly. Commissioned into Maratha Light Infantry, Tushar served with distinction for 33 years. He has clocked more than 75,000 kms on his cycle across countries and terrains. Ghumakkad is delighted to share this guest story from Tushar. Presently working in Guntur, he cycled to Uppalapadu Bird Protection Centre in Andhra Pradesh. Tushar's story in his own words.

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When I took up a professional assignment in Guntur, I was rather unsure of what a small town had in store. As I started going around town and the surrounding rural areas on my cycle, I realised there was a lot to see and to experience. 

The rural landscape changes colour ever so often, looking different every couple of weeks. 

I had read about the Bird Protection Centre in Uppalapadu, a village twelve kilometres east of Guntur town – located on National Highway 16 which runs from Chennai to Kolkata. After taking a detour at the village of Takkelapadu, the road joins State Highway 253: venture forth another three kilometres towards Hanumanapalem, and you are at Uppalapadu. 

It is a wetland or a lake called “Cheruvu” in Telugu, with a few small islands bearing some trees. The Forest Department has put up thirty-five metal perches, which double up as 'tree' nesting sites for the birds.

The birds we saw here were of various kinds – pelicans, pintail ducks, cormorants, ibis’, painted storks, herons, flamingos, common teals, and common coots. These winged visitors come down from Siberia and up from Australia. 

The caretaker at the Centre said that most of the birds fly out by day in search of fresh food and fish which they seek out in the Bay of Bengal, which lies around a hundred kilometres further east. They return by nightfall, and their population varies between twelve thousand and sixteen thousand. 

A pathway of a hundred metres designed to keep away the most dangerous predator – the human being – allows for the birds to be watched by interested eyes without any disturbance to their nesting, mating, living, and squabbling. 

The Forest Department ensures a continuous supply of water to the lake, and is also involved in spreading awareness among villagers about the importance of migratory birds.

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Thank you Tushar for an interesting story. Keep cycling and sharing your adventures with our readers.

Ghumakkad had earlier posted another story on bird protection and conservation effort by AP Forest department in Kolleru. Readers may browse similar bird towers created in the middle of Kolleru lake in the story below.

Kolleru The Pelican Paradise - Picture story of Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary shows the creation of metal perches for the migratory birds in middle of a lake. The birds have adopted the metal baskets for nesting! 

With rampant destruction of our Environment by mankind, such stories of bird protection are truly heartwarming. Kudos to the Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh Government in India.

Hope you enjoyed the guest story by Col Tushar Bhakay, 15th in our guest-series. Should you have a picture story of common interest, Ghumakkad would be happy to post it here. Only rider is that the pictures have to be original and the matter non-political, non-religious and non-commercial.

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected. Do leave a comment. Few words are enough to encourage us.

     -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ Makar Sankranti 14th January 2026

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