Area of 20 acres per day covered by ’beach cleaner’ at Malpe

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Sep 19, 2016: It is reported that the beach cleaner machine, which was inaugurated at the Malpe beach here on Sept 17, Saturday, has the ability to clean 20 acres of beach, per day.   This machine is expected to go a long way in keeping the Malpe beach, which attracts hundreds of tourists, clean.

The machine worked by collecting sand by way of scoop or drag mechanism. It then raked or sifted anything large enough to be considered foreign matter including sticks, stones, rubbish, syringes, seaweeds and algae.  The machine effectively removes even the smallest materials such as cigarette butts, pop tops, straws, plastic, small shells, glass etc., from the sand.

It also helps reduce bacterial level in beach sand caused by natural debris and animal waste, which helped in saving marine life and preventing illness. The machine removed only unwanted debris and not the sand. It helps in keeping the beach clean.

The machine has a low ground pressure and is eco-friendly. It works both in wet and dry lands and can be used in water till the depth of nine inches. The machine was equipped with patented raking, screening and mixing technology.   The machine works on three modes. In the raking technique, it does surface cleaning only on wet sand/dry sand on hard ground. In the screening technique, it does in-depth cleaning for wet and dry sand. It can combine both raking and screening techniques.

A firm from Mumbai would offer free maintenance for a year and paid maintenance thereafter. It would also provide necessary spare parts. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, who launched the machine, said that the machine would be used primarily for cleaning the Malpe beach.